Gravity
by Broken.Skylit.Lights
Summary: I heard gunshots. One. Then two more. I heard screams around me as people ducked and frantically looked around, before their eyes fell on me, fear frozen on their faces. The pain hit me all at once as I fell to my knees. My vision started blacking over as I looked down at my chest to see three holes in the center of my chest. Renamed. Was once Someone Like You
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of it's characters. I only own Daelyn, David and any other characters I create along the way.

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><p>No one can confidently say that he will still be living tomorrow. ~Euripides<p>

Gravity

Chapter One

It was dark when I stirred awake. I opened my eyes for a moment before yanking the blanket over my head and rolling over. Yet sleep evaded me. I listened to the familiar creeks of the house in the darkness. The wind blowing at the torn screen of my window. Wooden floors settling. The ticking of the clock in David's room across the hall that lulled him to sleep on stress filled nights. I could hear his deep breathing through my cracked door.

The wind rattled at my window, rustling the tree outside. I pushed my head back up from the blankets and cuddled further into their warmth. The air outside was cold, and it crept through the room like a vengeful ghost. It would be snowing soon.

I finally settled down into a comfortable position and matched my breathing with David's from the other room. I listened to the clock, counting the ticks as the seconds passed.

_Tick._ One.

_Tock. _Two.

_Tick. _Three.

_Tock. _Four.

_Tick. _Five.

_Tock..._ Six..

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><p>I was wearing black. The lace dress was long trailing on the ground, with a slit in the front that came to my upper thigh so when I walked it would drag like a train behind me. The boat neck of the dress fell to the tips of my shoulders with a single layer of lace for sleeves that came to the ends of my thumbs. I twirled, taking in the beauty of the dress. I hadn't ever worn anything like it before.<p>

I looked around me, the smile on my face fading. The black was a stark contrast to the blinding white around me. There was no definite up or down. Just nothingness. I took a step forward, then another, looking around for anything through the white. It felt as if I wasn't moving. I was just floating through the white.

There was no sound around me. Only the sound of my breathing reached my ears. Even my heart sat silent in my chest. I could feel no familiar beat on my ribs. The silence was deafening. My ears were ringing at the lack of noise, straining to listen for some form of life in the blankness.

I slowly sat down bringing my knees up to my chest. There was no where to go. I was alone. Completely, totally, alone. I shut my eyes to block out the bright white and rested my head on my knees. My body hummed at the relief of the harsh color.

Where was I? Was I sleeping? Was this all a dream?

Through the ringing in my ears, I heard music. My eyes snapped open and I jumped to my feet. My eyes darted all around me, looking for the source of music when they finally landed on a black form that was a pin prick in the distance. I ran for the figure, the white still stagnant around me. Though it felt as if I wasn't moving, the figure grew closer until I could see the broad shouldered frame was facing away from me, a black cloak covering everything, and the good drawn up. The figure was standing next to a simple music box with the lid opened to reveal a tiny porcelain figurine of a woman with long curling black hair and a white ball gown.

The figure started to move away.

"Wait!" I called out. I tripped over the length of the dress, falling to my hands and knees. "Wait. Please don't go.." I trailed off, my own black curls cascading over my vision.

Before I could brush the hair from my face, a warm hand did it for me. I sat back, my legs tucked under me. The figure was crouched in front of me. The open front of the cloak showed the man wore Chinese fighting style clothes, the loose fitting pants black, and the top a pale blue. The hood hid the upper part of his face from my view, leaving only his mouth to be seen.

"I won't leave you," he spoke, his voice deep and resonating.

"Where am I?" I asked.

"Your subconscious. Or what's left of it," he answered, his elbows resting on his crouched knees and hands hanging between his legs.

"What do you mean?" I asked, confusing drawing my eyebrows together.

"They plan to take your life from you today," he answered. "Your soul is preparing itself."

"I'm going to die?" I asked quietly, though alarm was piercing through my veins.

He reached one of his hands up to my cheek. His thumb caressed my skin softly as a handsome smile appeared on his face.

"No. I won't let you. I need you."

Before I could answer he drew my face to his and his lips pressed into mine.

0000

"Daelyn!"

I shot up, narrowly missing David's chin with my forehead as he ducked away from me. My heart was pounding in my chest as I glared at my brother who returned my look with a scowl.

"What?!" I snapped, trying to ease my racing heart.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at me and crossing his arms over his chest. "Have a bad dream? What did I tell you about watching those late night scary movies?"

"Shut up," I snapped at him, throwing one of the pillows on my bed at him. He caught it and threw it back at me, hitting me in the side of the head.

"Get up," he told me, clearing across the room to the door before I could retaliate. "It's seven o'clock. I have to leave for work soon and I don't want you lazing around all day."

"I don't want you lazing around all day," I mimicked him in a whiney voice as he made his way down the hallway. "Ass," I scoffed, flopping back down on my bed and drawing the blankets up to my chin. I attempted to go back to sleep, but my mind was wide awake. I laid there for a moment before sighing and opening my eyes to stare at the wall. I lifted my hand through my blankets, and traced across my lips where I could still feel a whisper of the strangers lips. Shaking my head I dragged myself out of bed. It was just a dream.

I started undoing my braid that I usually wore in attempt to tame the curls that lived life in rebellion as I walked down the hallway to where I could hear the TV in the living room.

"I have to work a double today," he said as I walked passed him on the couch and into the kitchen. "I won't be home til after midnight."

"Okay," I said, opening the cupboard for a coffee cup.

"I'd really like it if you went and applied for some jobs today," he said from the kitchen door way as I closed the cupboard.

"Yes, David," I said rolling my eyes and moving to pour hot water into the cup for tea. "I have been applying. But its hard to find a decent job in Tokyo without a degree." He sighed and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes again as I turned to face him, seeping a tea bag in the water.

"I told you that you needed to do better in school," he said, crossing his arms.

"Well, I'm sorry I'm not a prodigy like you and had difficulty in school," I aimed back, blowing on my tea as I brought it to my lips. "If I do remember correctly I also had a full time job when I was originally barely passing school. So forgive me if my grades weren't good enough for you and any other scholarship out there."

"I told you to quit that job," he narrowed his azurite blue eyes at me.

"Yet you never turned down any money I gave you when we needed food on the table," I shot back, narrowing my own matching blue eyes back. "I wanted to keep this house as much as you did."

"Don't blame this on me," he said, his voice huffing.

"I'm not," I said turning my eyes away from him. "But maybe you should have been a brother back then and helped me study instead of trying to parent me into curfew."

"You were fourteen," he stated. "You needed a parent."

"No," I stated back, meeting his gaze again. "I needed a brother. I needed a friend."

"Whatever," he scoffed, pushing himself away from the door way and disappearing into the living room. "I have to get to work."

I didn't say anything as I continued to lean against the counter and listened to him gather his things. I heard the jingle of keys, and the door open, then close. After another moment, I heard his car start in the driveway and he was gone.

I let out the breath that I didn't realize I had been holding. I stood there for another moment before I sat the cup down on the counter and walked back to my room. I changed into a pair of yoga pants and a tank top. Making my way back into the living room, I yanked on a jacket as I stepped into my shoes. With a huff, I grabbed the black gym bag that I left sitting next to the door as I opened the door. Stepping out into the cool autumn air, I locked the door and headed on the side walk.

Tension tightened my muscles as David re entered my mind. He was such an ass. He knew I tried my hardest in school. But after our parents were killed, we had to find a way to eat and keep a roof over our heads. I offered then to drop out completely as he continued to go to school, but he would hear nothing of it. He doubled up on his courses, graduating medical school in four years instead of eight, and had been in residency for three and a half years, drawing near to the end before he became a full time doctor in the hospital. He was going to be the youngest doctor in the hospital at twenty-six.

School was always his thing. Straight A's since kindergarten. It was never mine. I was always more interested in the arts. Especially dance. My mom had signed me up for a dance class when I was four and I had been hooked ever since. But there wasn't many schools that provided degrees for that. My only hope for dance was to be noticed by someone in a try out for some play or music video and go that route. But David didn't understand that.

I shifted the bag on my shoulder as I walked out to a busier street, greeted by the morning office people walking to work, and cars trying to navigate through the crowds. The people walking bustled passed me like their tailored suits were on fire. I watched them go by with stress and worry etched into their faces. David had that face quite often.

I understood why he wanted me to get a job. I wasn't angry at him about that. I had lost my waitress job a few months earlier when a customer threw a glass of water on me for their food being wrong and they felt that I wasn't giving them enough attention. In retaliation I took the piece of chocolate ganache cake that I had been carrying to another table and smeared it on his Gucci suit.

Needless to say, it had been pretty hard to find a job after that.

I crossed the street and walked a few more blocks before reaching the studio that my old dance instructor let me use when she didn't have classes. She was thrilled that I was still interested in dance and gladly gave me a key to come and go when I felt like it. I pushed open the door and let it shut behind me as Ie took a deep breath, taking in the smell of wood polish and glass cleaner.

I let the worries run off of me as I dropped my gym bag and went to the stereo to turn on music. I laid my jacket down with my bag as I moved to the center of the room and let the music move my body for me.

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><p>It was afternoon time before I locked the glass door behind me as I left the studio. The streets were bustling again as the same office workers I had seen this morning were on their way home. My body was loose with satisfaction from leaving my built up stresses behind. I had a layer of sweat on me that I was ready to get home and wash off before I settled down for the evening.<p>

I decided that I would make David's favorite dinner, kake soba. It was easy enough to reheat that he could eat it when he got home. I knew what I said to him earlier wasn't among the kindest things I had ever said to my brother. But he was just able to get under my skin in a way that no one else knew how.

My dad used to say that when the first Matthews came around they never learned how to say sorry so it wasn't in our DNA. We would simply do something nice for each other or someone else and call it good. It was up to the other person if they decided to accept it.

With a new found good mood I waited patiently at the cross walk that I had walked over earlier to get to the studio. I stood back from the crowd of eager business men and women who were ready to get home to their families and evening rituals.

When the sign flashed green for them to go, I waited a few moments before following suit. I had almost made it to the curb when I heard gunshots. One. Then two more.

I heard screams around me as people ducked and frantically looked around, before their eyes fell on me, fear frozen on their faces. The pain hit me all at once as I fell to my knees. My vision started blacking over as I looked down at my chest to see three holes in the center of my chest. With each failing heart beat, more blood soaked my white tank top.

I fell to my back, not feeling as my legs twisted painfully beneath me. I barely heard the screams around me as my blackening vision stared up into the sky. The sun had started to set. A gradient of blues and reds floated above me as my vision finally went black.


	2. Chapter 2

A life without cause is a life without effect. ~Barbarella

Gravity

Chapter Two

I was standing on the outskirts of a crowd that was in an uproar of panic. I didn't know how I got there or why. I reached out my hand to tap a man on the shoulder, but yanked my hand back in surprise when my hand passed through him.

"What.." I breathed, looking down at my hand to see that I was able to see through it. "..the fuck."

I looked back up to the crowd of people and with a grimace walked _through _them. I reached the inside of the circle they had made and froze, my hands covering my mouth in horror. I was laying there in the center of the circle with three paramedics working quickly on and around me. Or my body.

My body was laying on the cement, legs twisted painfully, and a pool of blood growing bigger by the second. My hair that I had left un-braided to let my scalp breathe after sweating so bad earlier was splayed out around my head, the ends that reached my lower back soaking up the crimson that painted the cement. The top of my tank top was no longer white, but matched the color of the blood covered cement.

I looked down at my..body? There was nothing there. Only the clothes my..other body was wearing.

"I can't get a pulse," one of the paramedics said, snapping me back to attention.

"Let's get her into the ambulance, now!" another commanded.

I watched in complete shock and an utter loss at what to do as they pulled out the stretcher. I watched as they lifted my lifeless body onto the stretcher and loaded it into the back of the ambulance. The ambulance took off, leaving only the police behind to take care of the scene.

I started after the ambulance, let out a cry of surprise as I floated off the ground. I pushed the surprise back as I flew after the ambulance, catching up to it quickly. I wracked my brain for the closest hospital near by and dread sunk into the pit of my stomach.

"David.." I breathed.

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><p>It was a normal shift for David as he worked the emergency room. Stitches, broken bones, fevers. Crying children who fought their parents hold as nurses tried to administer shots. Cases of "Well, my finger has been hurting since 1982 and it just stopped hurting today".<p>

He sighed as he leaned against the nurses station for a moment to catch his breath. He ran his fingers through his obsidian colored hair. The fight with Daelyn was still clear in his mind. Was he being to hard on his sister? Since their parents had been killed it was his responsibility to take care of her. He could have chosen not to. Let her be taken into the system, sold the house, leave half of it for her when she was old enough to be released from the system and take the other half and put it towards his med school.

But he knew from the moment she called him that night from the hospital that the police had taken her to that he would never be able to do that. She was his little sister. He loved her no matter how much they grated on each other. That's what siblings were supposed to do. He knew it didn't help that they were seven years apart in age. They were on different planets when it came to maturity with age. Daelyn had yet to grow out of her dreamer phase, where as he was down-to-earth, plan everything accordingly and ahead of time.

He decided when he woke up the next morning he would make sure to let her sleep in as long as she wanted, and when he got home they would watch as many of those horror movies she loved so much, even though they gave her nightmares, even if she wanted to watch them all night because he would be off the day after that. He would even pop popcorn, splurge on some candy tonight when he got off, and make a pallet in the floor with blankets and pillows like they used to do when they were kids before their parents were killed.

He was pulled from his thoughts as a voice came over the intercom.

"Code Blue, Code Blue, Emergency department. Code Blue."

He let out a sigh as he pushed away from the station and rushed to the emergency doors that the ambulance brought patients to. He met one of the EMS at the door and the man handed him the chart and dashed back outside to the patient.

David looked over the chart quickly, his eyes trained to take in a lot of information in a short amount of time.

Female. Late teens-early twenties. 5'2. 100 pounds. Multiple gunshot wounds to the chest. No pulse. He snapped the chart shut as they wheeled in the stretcher.

When his eyes fell on the mess of obsidian curls and familiar face, his world began to shatter.

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><p>"David, I'm right here!" I screamed at him as his face twisted into an expression I had never seen before. "I'm right here!"<p>

He ran passed me as the stretcher with my body was rolled into the emergency room and down the hallway. I let out a frustrated sigh as I followed after. David shoved the file in his hand at another doctor, barely barking something as he rushed by. The other doctor followed after, giving commands to other staff as they gathered around the stretcher.

"Get her to the O.R.! Now!" I watched in defeat as they wheeled the stretcher towards the said operating room. The doctor spun around and put his hand on David's chest. "You aren't going in there. You're the family now. Go sit in the waiting room, or the observary room, but your not going in there."

David looked like he was about to argue, but nodded in defeat, his shoulders slumping. I stood next to him as his head hung. He snatched the white coat he was wearing off, and the shirt of his scrubs to leaving him in a plain gray t-shirt and scrub pants.

He started towards the direction they took to the operating room, but turned a different direction. I followed after him, wishing there was some way to tell him that I was right next to him. He pushed open the door of a dark room, and I followed after him, phasing through the door. He stood with his hands pressed against a pane of glass, leaning his weight against it, his eyes trained on the scene on the other side. I moved to his side again, and pursed my lips as I watched them slide a scalpel across my exposed upper body. They used a tool to crack through my ribs, revealing an unmoving, bleeding heart beneath.

I phased into the room through the glass to get a closer look. It was macabre to see my own skin, muscle and bone pushed aside and see into my own chest cavity. The surgeons took to work trying to get my heart pumping again.

"Do you wish to live?" a familiar voice asked behind me. I spun around. Standing behind me was the hooded man from my dreams. I froze, not knowing what to say. "Your life is going to be taken by the spirit world. You must answer me quickly, before they find you. Do you wish to live?"

"You're..not real," I said, more to myself. "You're just a dream."

"I assure you, Daelyn, I am not just a dream. I'm real. And I can give you back your life." His hooded face looked up to the pane of glass, and my eyes slowly followed his after lingering on him a moment longer. Behind the glass, I could see David, his face still contorted into a painful expression. There were tears in his eyes. "Do you wish to live?"

"Yes," I told him. "Yes. Please."

He smiled at me.

"So it shall be."

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><p>David's own heart was twisting in his chest as he watched the surgeons try and close the wounds in Daelyns' heart and try to get it pumping again. He looked at the time on the wall. Twenty minutes since she had been wheeled into the emergency room. More than twenty minutes since her heart had stopped beating. He knew science. He knew medicine. His rational mind told him there was no chance. She was gone. Yet, his heart whispered words of hope to his mind. Maybe she would be okay. Maybe it hadn't actually been twenty minutes and he was looking at the time wrong because he was frantic.<p>

But he knew better than that.

He watched as the surgeons stepped back from his sister, her chest still open. He felt the tears that had been pooling in his eyes fall when he heard the words that he had heard so many times through the years. But this time, it was he who felt the grief.

"Call it."

Pain and grief twisted like a molten knife in his gut as a sob wracked at his body. He hung his head, clenching his fits until his knuckles were white. She was gone. She was gone. She was gone.

He was sitting before he realized it, his elbows on his knees and his clenched fists yanking at his already messy hair as more painful sobs shook him to his core. How could she be gone? She was nineteen. She had her whole life ahead of her. He had been so hard on her. When was the last time that he told her that he loved her? He couldn't even remember. What if she died thinking he hated her?

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

He froze. Slowly, his head lifted from his hands to the heart monitor in the operating room. He rose to his feet and moved back to the glass, his hands finding the ledge of the window.

"What? What's going on?" a nurse asked.

"There's no time for questions! Close her heart up and sew her up!" a surgeon answered, his hands flying faster than David's stunned eyes could follow as he could barely break his gaze from the heart monitor.

A disbelief filled chucked filled his chest as he looked on to his baby sister. The blue was fading from her skin.

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><p>She was still asleep when they wheeled her out of recovery a few hours later. He barely listened to the nurse as she said something about heavily sedated and morphine as he pulled a chair up next to her bed. The nurse left after writing something in the chart.<p>

He looked down at his sister, taking in her appearance. She was wrapped tightly in white gauze and bandages around her chest. Her face looked sunken, and her eyes rolled around behind her eyelids. Her hands were clutched at the blankets at her sides. But she was breathing deeply. Her heart beat sounded on the monitor sure and strong.

A worn smile came as a ghost on his face. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her bangs before brushing them out of her eyes. She stirred a little at the contact and he laced his fingers in hers as he sat in the chair that he had pulled up to the side of the bed. He rested his head in his free hand and let out a sigh of breath he felt like he had been holding since he had first seen her wheeled into the hospital. He knew it was sometime around three in the morning. He had been awake for nearly twenty four hours, yet he knew sleep would be impossible. His nerves were frayed. He needed to be awake for when she woke up. She would be confused. He needed to be there for her.

"David.." He lifted his head in surprise at the sound of her voice. Her eyes were trying to open, but the morphine was winning in the battle, causing her eyes to roll back and forth fighting the sleep. "David.. I'm here. I'm right here.." Her voice was thick with sleep and heavy medication. He struggled to understand her slurred words.

"I know," he said, resting his free hand on her forehead. "I know. You're here. You're okay." Her rolling eyes tried to focus on him as she blinked hard and opened her eyes fully. She was able to focus on him for a minute. "How are you feeling?" he asked her gently.

"..Alive," she answered.

"Yes," he chuckled. "Are you in pain?"

"Sleepy," she slurred finally giving in to the strength of the morphine and closing her eyes.

"Get some rest," he told her, grasping her hand in both of his. "I'll be right here. I love you, Daelyn. I'm so happy you're okay."

There was a moment filled with silence. David assumed the medication had pulled her back into her slumber. Yet, through the darkness of the room, he heard her quiet voice, clear as any other day.

"I love you too, bubba."


	3. Chapter 3

"To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all." ~Oscar Wilde

Gravity

Chapter Three

I was in and out of consciousness for some time. My body's inner clock told me it was a couple of days. Each time my eyes would roll awake there was a different face above me. A nurse, David, or someone that I had gone to school with and hadn't seen since I graduated. Soon after my eyes would open, I would feel the wave of morphine roll tingling, feel good waves across my body and I would drift back into my dreamless slumber.

But as my eyes opened again, I refused to let the morphine drag me back into the thick darkness. My eyes fought me, rolling back and forth across the room. I gave a hard blink, and David's face appeared in front of me. It took everything in my power to focus and not let my eyes roll black.

"How long have I been asleep?" I asked. My mouth was dry with thirst, and my tongue felt thick in my mouth.

"Four days," he answered. "But I don't think your fully awake yet."

"Then take me off the damn morphine so I can be," I slurred out, trying to sound hard, but ended up sounding heavily intoxicated. Like I was.

"I don't think that would be a very smart decision," he chucked at me.

My eyes fell back to his face as my mind started to clear a little more. He looked tired. Not that he didn't always look tired, but this was a whole new level. His hair was disheveled and sticking out in places. His clothes were wrinkled. I could see the shadow of where he hadn't shaved as he rubbed his hand across his cheek. His own blue eyes were dark and I could see the grogginess in his face.

"Can I sit up?" I asked, shifting on the hard mattress.

David nodded and grabbed the bed remote on the side table next to him. He pushed a button, and I felt the bed rising, lifting me into a sitting position. It was easier to stay awake now that I was able to see around the room. It was one of the larger rooms I had seen in a hospital. The room actually had carpet on one side, with a set of couches and a large TV. The bed I was laying in was facing that I could sit up in the bed and see the TV on the other side of the room. On one of the couches I could see David's white coat crumpled into a ball and tossed to the side. The other couch had a pillow and blankets where I assumed he had been sleeping.

I looked back at my brother who tried to fix his hair by running his fingers through it, but only caused it to stick out more.

"I need to call the police station and let them know you're awake. They want to talk to you about what happened," he pursed his lips. "Do you remember?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said, licking at my lips. They were dry and cracked. "I didn't see anything though," I added when he nodded.

"Just tell them that. Then hopefully they'll leave us alone."

He left the room to go to the nurses station to make the call, leaving me alone. I rested my head back against the bed as I stared up at the ceiling. I remembered everything. The gunshots, the pain. Being invisible to those around me as I followed my body around. And the hooded man.

In the last moments before he put me back in my body, he gave me a warning.

"_The spirit world will be after you. You are not supposed to be alive. Be wary of them. Do not trust them."_

But how was I supposed to know what the spirit world was? Or who would be after me? Was I going to have to live life on the run? What would I tell David if suddenly we had to run? I couldn't leave him behind. The whole reason I came back was because of him. It would be cruel to defy death, then just up and leave with no warning and no clues as to where I was.

Maybe we could flee to the states where my parents brought us from when I was still an infant. We would be able to live there with no question as to if we were American. Both David and I were born in America, a mixture of Irish, German, and a few other things. We were both fluent in English and spoke in English at home and when we were alone. But where would we go?

I moved to cross my arms and flinched at a sharp sting in my chest. I looked down to see bandages wrapped snugly around my chest up to my collar bones. With a defeated sigh, I let my hands fall into my lap. I couldn't worry about this right now. First, I had to get out of the hospital. I could worry about everything else after that.

David returned with two Styrofoam cups in hand.

"Are you thirsty?" he asked. I nodded, my tongue sticking to the roof of my mouth. He sat at the chair that had been pulled up next to my bed. He handed me one of the cups. I looked down at it and gave him a bland look. Ice chips.

"Do I look pregnant to you?" I asked, not appreciating his humor as he chewed back a smile.

"You can't have too much to drink, and you aren't allowed to eat yet. Not until your attending comes in and checks on you." His amused smile broke through. "Doctor's orders." With another bland look I crunched down on the ice chip. I savored the melting ice on my tongue. "See? It's not that bad," he laughed.

"Shut up," I said pointedly at him as I chewed down another one. After my thirst was sated enough that my tongue didn't stick to the roof of my mouth, I sat the cup aside and twiddled my thumbs in my lap again. "When do I get to go home?" I asked.

David blinked at me, sipping from his coffee. "Daelyn, you just woke up from major heart surgery. They called your time of death on the table. It's going to be a while."

I started to reply when a man in a white coat walked in. David greeted the man, who gave a warm greeting in return as he approached my bed.

"How are you feeling?" he asked me, his hands finding the chart at the end of my bed.

"Thirsty," I responded. David shot me a look. "Fine, I guess," I added, shooting him a look back. "I'm really tired."

"That's the morphine," the doctor said nodding. I read the embroidery on his coat. Dr. Tamura. "We'll begin weaning you off of the morphine in the next day or so." He turned to David and started talking to him about things I didn't understand.

The police interviewer showed up about an hour later. I had to explain to him a few times before he finally accepted that I didn't see anyone with a gun. All I heard were gunshots. I didn't see anyone run away from the scene. I was shot from behind. I had to assure him another three times that I would call and tell them if I remembered anything else that I hadn't told them. The sun was about to set by the time the interview left. David had taken to one of the couches across the room and flipping through the channels.

"Why don't go head home for a little while?" I asked.

"What? Why?" he asked, looking back at me and blinking.

"You've been here for four days, plus the day that I got shot, so five days. You look like you need a decent shower," I told him, shifting in the bed. "I wouldn't be here for five days out of my own free will."

"I'm not leaving you here," he dismissed, turning back to the TV. I glared at the side of his head.

"Tell you what," I said, drawing his attention back to me. "Go home. Take a decent shower and get cleaned up. Grab me and yourself some clothes, toothbrushes, shampoo and stuff, and on your way back, you can stop by that noodle place down the street and pick us up something to eat. That doctor released me to eat, and I'm withering away from starvation. And we can actually have a meal together for once." He opened his mouth to say something, but I cut him off. "And you best damn well believe that I'm not eating this hospital food that you've told me so many horror stories about."

He looked at me in surprise and let out a chuckle. "Okay," he agreed. "I surrender. You win." He stood from the couch with a stretch, lifting his arms above his head. "You sure you'll be okay here by yourself for a little while?" he asked.

"As long as you give me the remote before you leave," I said, holding my hand out expectantly.

* * *

><p>She was right, David realized. He did need a good shower. Hospital showers only made you feel so clean. He scratched at the stubble on his face. He needed to shave as well.<p>

As he exited the hospital he could smell the difference in the air. Though Tokyo's air was by far not fresh and clean, it didn't smell stale with antiseptic and sickness. The skies were thick with gray clouds and the wind had a frozen bite to it. Snow was coming in tonight. The city was abnormally quiet with the foreboding of the on coming storm.

David jogged out to his car that hadn't moved in the past five days to escape the wind. When he got to the silver Subaru and let it sit idle for a few minutes to warm the engine before pulling out of his space. The hospital wasn't too far from home, only about ten minutes. It was the reason that he chose that hospital over one more well known. He had started this job when Daelyn was still in school and he wanted to be close enough that should an emergency occur he would be able to get to said emergency as quickly as he could.

The roads were just as quiet as the rest of the city. There were only a few people walking on the sidewalks, most choosing to stay inside out of the biting cold, and even fewer cars. He knew that the weather on the news said that this winter storm was going to bring heavy snow and ice. He silently let out a sigh of relief that he had built up so many sick days and vacation days that he could use while Daelyn was still in the hospital. And he was glad that he had put in the request for the time off before news of the storm appeared, or he knew he would have never been approved for it. All together he had ten weeks of time off that he could take to make sure that his sister was okay.

Seeing injuries and surgeries like her's before he knew that he would need all of that time. He or Dr. Tamura had yet to break it to her that she wasn't going to be allowed to leave the hospital for nearly nine weeks until they were sure that her heart was going to be able to handle being out around pollution and the general population. As he turned into the drive way of his familiar childhood home, he decided with a grimace that he would let Dr. Tamura break that news to her. He could only imagine the fit she would throw.

Locking the car behind him, he made his way up to the house. The inside of the home was cold. Five days ago it was still just warm enough that they didn't need the heat on. The house was dark, and quiet. He could see into the kitchen where the cup that Daelyn had been drinking from sat on the counter, long since abandoned and cold. Five days ago seemed like an eternity had passed. He slipped off his coat and left it in the chair as he walked passed to the thermostat to turn the heat on. He listened as it kicked on and smelled the warmth as it spilled through the vents. Running his fingers through his hair, he thought about what it would have been like if he had lost his little sister and came back to this house by himself.

The thought almost made him physically sick. After their parents were killed it already seemed half empty. He wasn't sure he would have been able to keep the house if she hadn't woken up. In fact, he was sure he wouldn't have been able to. The pictures that hung on the walls of their younger days would have smiled back at him, breaking him apart. The memories of Daelyn tottering about as a toddler and bumping into things, knocking herself over, only to giggle and go back to what mischief she was getting into would have haunted his dreams. There were days even now that if he laid in bed long enough, floating in the space between awake and asleep that he could almost smell their mother cooking breakfast, and hear their father laughing.

He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. He needed to shower and gather things for Daelyn and himself for her stay at the hospital.

* * *

><p>The shower really had done him a lot of good. The grime of the past few days that always seemed to leave a layer on his skin was gone and he felt refreshed. Though he hadn't been sleeping well, not that he ever did, the life in his step was back.<p>

He pushed open the door to the restaurant that Daelyn wanted him to pick up food from. They used to come here at least once a week before they were thrust into adulthood of having to worry about bills and a mortgage. He knew Daelyn still frequented the place. There were nights that he came home to find a Styrofoam container of food that she picked up for him for when he got home late at night.

"Well, hasn't it just been to long?" the older gentleman behind the counter said, giving him a warm and bright smile.

"It has," David agreed returning the smile.

Mr. Yukimura had always been kind to them. His daughter, Keiko, was two and a half years older than Daelyn and they had gone to the same high school. Though Keiko was an upper classman, she and Daelyn had been friends. The girl was the only friend Daelyn had in school.

"How's your sister? Keiko told me that she was still sedated when she came by the hospital," Mr. Yukimura asked as David sat on one of the stools at the counter.

"She woke up earlier today," David said, smiling. "Still as feisty and argumentative as usual."

"Well, I'll be sure to have to let Keiko know. She'll be wanting to see her as soon as possible. I'm glad she's okay." David nodded in thanks to the man. "Now what can I get for you?"

* * *

><p>David came back to my room a few hours later. I was still sitting in bed, fresh bandage covering my bullet wounds and incision. When the nurse had changed my bandages I had refused to look at either wound. "I wasn't ready to face the damage that would leave scars for the rest of my life.<p>

He sat the two duffle bags down next to one of the couches and slid the rolling table next to my bed over to me, setting down the plastic bag that held two containers of our dinner. I was giddy for food. My stomach had long since protesting at the lack of sustenance that I was craving.

"I talked with Mr. Yukimura," David said, breaking his chopsticks apart. I blinked, chewing the bite of food I had already taken. "He asked how you were doing."

"Was Keiko there?" I asked, swallowing.

"No," he shook his head. "She and her husband, Yusuke?" I nodded, answering his question to the dark haired mans name, "Came by while you were still sedated." My shoulders slumped. I hadn't seen Keiko in a few weeks. I had vaguely woken up while other old classmates came by who I couldn't remember ever talking to them. Why couldn't I haven't woken up while my friend was here? "Mr. Yukimura assured me that he would let Keiko know that you were awake. I'm sure she'll come by tomorrow."

I nodded, still sad that I hadn't been able to see my friend. The sun set, leaving the only light we had the artificial lights above us. We finished eating, and my stomach was full and happy. David continued to sit in the chair next to my bed as he flipped through the channels on the TV. He paused on the horror movie channel and sat the remote down on the rolling table he had pushed back to its original position next to the bed. I blinked at him, surprised that he chose this channel. He shrugged in response.

"I know you like these movies for some unknown reason," was his only answer.

I scooted over to the side of the larger bed. David must have pulled some strings to get me into this room. The bed I was in was large enough for two people to lay comfortably.

"Well, get up here," I said when he gave me a questioning look. With a smile and a shake of his head, he laid on the bed next to me, his arms behind his head. I rested my own head against one of his arms, and we spent the rest of the night watching B rated horror movies and laughing at each other when we jumped in surprise.


	4. Chapter 4

Friendship is not only doing something for someone, but it is caring for someone, which is what every person needs. ~C. Neil Strait

Gravity

Chapter Four

I was hardly able to get any sleep. Every hour, on the hour the nurses would make their rounds. They'd come into the room to check my vitals on the machine that was attached to me by wires. They would come in, look at the machine for a moment, write something down on my chart at the foot of the bed, smile then leave.

And don't even get me started on the IV in my arm.

Needless to say, I was pretty cranky that morning. David was able to sleep through the night on the couch. He woke up refreshed and energized. I was drugged, sleepy, and cranky. He went down to the cafeteria to get us some breakfast after assuring me a number of times that the breakfasts in the hospital weren't actually all that bad. It was the rest of the day that you had to worry about.

It was about ten o'clock in the morning and I could see out the window that was positioned directly to my left that there was a blanket of snow outside. It had started snowing at about two in the morning, shortly after David had laid down and fallen asleep. The sky was still a dark gray, threatening to add another layer to the already white blanket.

My attention was pulled away from the window when I heard a soft knock at the door. My mood immediately brightened when a pair of cinnamon colored eyes met mine.

"Keiko!" I greeted, smiling brightly. She returned my smile with an equally bright smile of her own. She quickly moved to the side of my bed and drew me into a light hug, being mindful of the stitches in my chest.

"How are you feeling?" she asked pulling away from the embrace. "Are you in any pain?"

"I'm fine," I assured her. "And no. You wouldn't believe the strength of the shit they have me on," I said, nodding to the bag that was dripping into the plastic tube that was attached to my arm through the IV. "I think I could get shot a few more times before I'd feel anything."

"Don't say that!" she exclaimed, smacking my arm.

"I'm sorry," I laughed. "Well, not really. It's the truth."

"And why the hell did you go and get yourself shot in the first place?" a male voice asked from the door way. I peered around Keiko to see Yusuke standing there, a grin plastered across his face.

"Well, its not like I had a bulls eye taped to me," I answered shortly. I returned his grin after a moment. "Hello to you, too, Yusuke."

As he entered into the room, a strange feeling brushed across the back of my neck. I stiffened at the feeling, my grin dropping immediately. My stomach twisted into knots.

"Are you okay?" Keiko asked, her voice filled with concern. "You look you're about to be sick! Do I need to go get a nurse?"

"No," I said, swallowing. The feeling started to ease, my stomach untwisting itself. "I think it's just a side effect of the morphine.." She looked like she didn't believe me. "I'm fine. I promise," I told her, shaking my head. "Morphine is pretty crazy."

"Oh, well, hello," David greeted, coming back into the room with a tray and two plates. "If I had known you would be here so early I would have gotten you both something to eat. I can run back downstairs?" he offered, setting the tray down on the rolling table.

"No, we're fine, thank you," Keiko declined, slowly pulling her gaze from me, and giving David a smile. "We ate before we came."

"Is everything alright?" he asked, his eyes moving over the three of us. Keiko and Yusuke both looked concerned. I suppressed a sigh. Of course David would notice. Of course.

"I just suddenly got kind of nauseous," I answered. "I'm fine."

A sigh did escape my lips when David picked up my chart at the end of the bed and went into doctor mode. I shot them both a look causing Keiko to roll her eyes and Yusuke to give me a shit-eating-grin.

"Well, they're lowering your dosage of morphine," David explained. "That could have something to do with it.." he moved over to the side of the bed with my IV and checked the dripping of the fluid. He then turned to me and pressed his hand to my forehead. "Are you still nauseous?" he asked.

"I'm fine," I said pushing his hand away. "Seriously. It's already passed." I knew it was no good. Once David got into his doctor mode, he stayed in his doctor mode until whatever situation passed. I sat back on the bed and gave the brunette a glowering look.

David let out a sigh and crossed his arms, looking me over. "If you say so," he said.

I blinked, surprised that he gave in so easily. David moved away from the side of my bed and asked Yusuke something about the weather. They moved to the couches, David taking his plate with him.

"So, tell me what happened," Keiko said, sliding the rolling table over to the bed with the tray of food. "They've been talking about you on the news.."

"I figured," I sighed. "I don't really know what happened," I said, after swallowing a spoonful of miso soup. "I just..I was about to cross the street. I was at the back of the crowd. I heard the gunshots and everyone started screaming," I sat back on the bed, suddenly losing my appetite. "Then I felt it." I shook my head. "I kind of remembering having an out of body experience. But I'm pretty sure I just dreamed it," I said, glancing over to David who was talking with Yusuke.

"What do you mean?" she asked, a tight expression crossing her face. The expression was gone before I could blink.

"Um. I don't know," I said, almost honestly. "I remember.." I stopped. "It's nothing," I finished, shaking my head. Keiko looked like she was about to open her mouth to protest. "Please," I pleaded with her. "I really don't want to talk about it," I said, glancing over to David again. "I just..I promise I'll tell you eventually," I added, turning my gaze back to her. "Just not right now. Please."

She finally gave in with a sigh and a nod.

We spent the late morning laughing and talking. Keiko had been so busy these last few weeks that we hadn't been able to talk. Between her work and her last year of college, she was swamped. I wasn't angry at her though. I was almost jealous. She was twenty-one, almost twenty-two, had a stable job, finishing college that she got into almost free with her scholarships, and married to someone who she had essentially been with since she was fourteen.

Not that they didn't have their ups and downs. Keiko didn't date in highschool, though there were a lot of boys that showed interest in her. We met in art class. She needed an extra credit, and I just simply liked it. We sat together at our table and that was it. We had been friends ever since. One of the few nights I wasn't working on a weekend, I'd stay the night over at her house for the night, assuring David that Keiko would help me study. One of those few nights, after we had spent much of the night watching romantic comedies and eating candy, I'd asked her a question that I had always kind of wondered.

"_You know, that guy Haru over at the boy's school seems pretty into you," I said, turning to look at her. We were sitting on her bed, the credits on her TV rolling as we finished our third movie for the night. "I mean, he's always standing outside the gates waiting to walk you home when school lets out."_

"_I know," she sighed, a distant look in her eyes. "I'm just not interested."_

"_Are you interested in anyone?" I asked after a moment. I had always wondered. Any time dating and boys were brought up, she'd get a far away look in her eyes and almost check out of the conversation. She turned her cinnamon colored eyes to me and chewed her lip for a moment before answering._

"_You promise not to tell anyone?" she asked. I gave her a bland look. Who was I going to tell? She was the only person I talked to._

_And she told me of Yusuke, the boy she had been in love with since she was fourteen. How he started working for a job that sent him to another country to work. Before he left the summer before her first year of high school, he promised to be back in three years. I quickly counted in my mind. He would be back by the end of this year, if he kept his promise._

"_So you promised you'd wait for him?" I asked._

"_Kind of," she said, sighing. "I told him that I was going into high school and a lot could happen."_

"_So..you're waiting for him?" I asked again, reading in between the lines she said. She nodded, a forlorn expression on her face. "Huh," I said, blinking. "Well..That's the cutest thing I've ever heard. Like, so cute, it's gross. I could vomit right here."_

"_Oh, hush!" she said, giving me a playful shove and a giggle. I returned the smile and laughed. "You know, there's quite a number of pretty cute boys who make sure they try and say hi to you after school," she said, giving me an amused grin. "And they blush when you actually acknowledge them."_

"_Yeah, yeah," I said waving her off. "Like I have time for dating. Could you imagine David's reaction if I even mentioned bringing a boy home? Seriously. He tried to talk to me about sex when I was fifteen, like I hadn't already gotten the talk. Now you want to talk about awkward," I shook my head. _

_Keiko laughed and agreed. "Maybe it's for the best."_

Two months later, Keiko came back to school from the weekend, her face holding a new glow I hadn't ever seen before. I made sure to get her alone during lunch and demanded she spill about what she was so cheery about. With a grin that nearly split her face in half, she told me Yusuke had come home. And they were going to get married this summer, after she graduated.

I was pulled from my thoughts when I felt something... shift in the room. The light hearted atmosphere changed. I felt stress clench in between my shoulder blades. I turned my attention to Yusuke. It was almost... as if the feeling was coming from him. He was staring out the window, passed David. His brow was drawn, and lips pursed.

I slowly followed his gaze out the window. I felt my heart flutter. _Floating_ outside the window was a blue haired girl. I jumped in surprise, and my chest constricted tightly, shooting pain into my body.

"Ah!" I cried out, clutching at the place of my incision and bullet wounds. I barely heard the monitor attached to me go haywire, but the pain coming from my chest over powered any other sense that I had. David was at my side in an instant. Peering up through my hair and clenched eyes, I saw Keiko and Yusuke stepped back from the bed. Kieko wore nothing but concern on her face. But Yusuke is who my eyes were drawn to. I could feel concern coming from him. But I could also feel dread.

I was wracked by another wave of pain from my chest as I coughed. I tasted metal in my mouth and saw small splatters of blood appear on the white of the blankets and my hands.

"Nurse!" David yelled, holding a cloth to my mouth as I coughed again, and this time I could feel the blood on my chin. "She must have ripped a stitch," he told the nurse as calmly as he could, when one finally appeared. He grabbed his pager that he carried with him off the rolling table and after a moment he was back at my side. The coughing wouldn't stop, no matter how much I tried. My attending doctor appeared next to me a moment later. David told him what happened. My heart beat had fluttered.

"Get her sedated," the doctor told the nurse, his voice calm, but worry pouring off of him. I could feel the nurse was trying not to panic. David was on the verge of having a melt down. All of these people touching me, their emotions pouring into me, my blood, my bones, my nerves. Everything was raw. I couldn't find my own mind in the chaos of theirs.

The nurse took a syringe and injected something into the tube of my IV.

And everything went black.


	5. Chapter 5

Dreams are illustrations... from the book your soul is writing about you. ~Marsha Norman

Gravity

Chapter Five

I was in a field of wild sunflowers. A warm breeze sent them into a dance around me, their sweet smell filling my nose. The breeze blew at my hair which was loose around me. The flowers cast a yellow glow to everything. It was if everything had a yellow tone to it. As I reached out to touch the petals of the flowers, another breeze brushed against me from another direction. The smell of salt water lingered for a moment before the wind carried away. I turned in the direction the wind came from and over the sea of yellow flowers I could see a beach with crystal clear blue water lapping at the shore.

I smiled at the sight. I absolutely adored the ocean. I started for the beach, having to pause to look down at the train of the dress I was wearing. It was the same lace dress I had been wearing before though instead of black, it was a pale ivory. I lifted the train of the dress to move easier through the flowers. As I stepped out onto the warm sand, I dropped the train of the dress, letting it flow out around me. The dress was even more beautiful in ivory than it had been in black. The lace looked like it had been made for the color ivory.

The crash of waves drew my attention from the dress. I continued making my way toward the ocean, the sand warm against my bare feet. As I approached the ocean, it gave of a blue glow the same way the sunflowers gave off yellow, turning everything a shade of blue. I stepped out into the water until it came to my knees, not particularly caring if the dress got wet with the salt water. The water was warm. The current pulled gently on my legs, urging me further into the water. But I stood still, and closed my eyes, letting the warmth of the sun above warm my skin, and the water wash around me.

"Daelyn," came a slightly familiar voice behind me. I opened my eyes and turned my head to look behind me. The man in the black cloak stood at the edge of the water, arms crossed as he looked out at me. I still couldn't see the top half of his face. I turned to face him completely. "I wouldn't go much further than that," he said. He was about fifteen feet away from me, but I could still hear him like he was right next to me.

"Why?" I asked, feeling the water splash against my thighs.

"In the waking world, your chest has been reopened to repair a stitch that tore," he said, plainly. "If you go to far out into the water, you'll fall into a coma."

"How?" I asked, my gaze falling to the water around me. I smiled at the colorful fish that swam around me, bumping into each other and my legs.

"This is your subconscious," he said. "Where we were before."

"It looks different," I said, lifting my eyes back up to him.

"Yes. Because you aren't about to die."

I blinked, letting his words sink in. "So," I said slowly. "This isn't just a dream."

"No," he said, shaking his head under his hood. "This place and I are as real as you are." He reached his hand out to me. "Now, if you would please step out of the water." Before I could blink, I suddenly appeared in front of him, my hand in his. I was standing on the sand of the beach. My legs and dress were completely dry, like I hadn't been in the water at all. "Good," he said, smiling at me. I still couldn't see all of his face. "You chose life."

"If I tore a stitch, why am I not dying?" I asked. I remembered coughing up blood. Before I was sedated I remembered it was a lot of blood.

"Because you are getting stronger," he said, his free hand lifting up and gently tracing along the curls of my hair. "Your body is becoming more resistant."

"How?" I asked, brows drawing together.

"I made you stronger when I gave you back your life," he said, his finger brushing across my cheek. "I gave you something no average human could ever dream of. You've always had spiritual awareness creeping under your skin. You just needed someone to awaken it. But in order to do so, I had to take something from you and give you something else in it's place." My gaze didn't waver as I waited for him to explain, staring up at the darkness that hid his eyes. "I had to take away your humanity," he said, his hand grazing down my cheek to rest his hand against my neck. "I had to turn you into a demon."

"What?" I asked, confusion clear in my voice.

"Come," he said. "Let's sit." He led me to the edge of the beach, where grass met the sand before the field of sunflowers began. We sat on the grass, and I left my toes in the sand. He sat next to me with one knee drawn up, resting his arm on it as he leaned back on his other arm. His other leg stretched out in front of him. "I'm not human, Daelyn. That's how I can be here with you." He reached up to tuck my hair behind my ear. "I'm an energy demon. I have an abundance of spiritual, demonic and life energy, that essentially recharges itself. That's how I was able to bring you back. I gave you some of each so your spirit could find a place to cling onto. If I had just given you life and spirit energy, your body wouldn't have been strong enough to hold on. You needed demonic energy so your body could heal itself. There's only so much that medicine and doctors can do." I listened to him quietly. His voice was deep and smokey. It resonated though my body as his words came over me. "The demonic energy I gave you is weak for now. No one will be able to sense it. Same with the spiritual energy. All three of the energies are growing. The demonic energy.." he paused for a moment. "It's turning you into a demon. Into an energy demon."

"I don't know if I believe you," I said, glancing over at him. "This has got to be just a dream."

"No, Daelyn," he said, shaking his head. "Before you were sedated. What caused your heart beat to flutter?" he asked.

I kept my gaze on him as I thought back. Keiko and Yusuke had come to see me. Keiko was sitting next to my bed. Yusuke was sitting with David on the couches. I felt something shift in the room..

"There was a girl," I said suddenly. "Floating. Outside my window."

"Yes," he nodded. "Do you know why?"

"I'm still trying to get over the fact that there was blue haired girl floating outside my window," I said, fidgeting with my fingers as my arms wrapped around my legs.

"Do you remember when I told you of spirit world?" he asked. I nodded. "The girl works for them. As once did your friend Yusuke. Spirit World must have finally figured out where you are."

"Yusuke is a normal human," I said. "How can a normal human work for 'Spirit World'?"

"He's a demon as well. Do you not remember the feeling you got when he entered the room?" I didn't answer his question. Because I did remember the feeling I got. "Now that Spirit World has discovered where you are I have no doubt that they're going to send Yusuke after you."

"Yusuke wouldn't come after me," I said. "And even if he tried, Keiko wouldn't let him."

"Are you so sure?" he asked. "Keiko knows of Spirit World and demons. She lied to you when she told you that Yusuke's job sent him traveling to another country. Yusuke is dangerous enough that Spirit World fired him as Spirit Detective. He had been in Demon World all those years." I knew he wasn't lying to me. I could feel it. And it terrified me. "Do you feel my honesty?" he asked, the back of his knuckles brushing against my cheek. "You are an empath. You should be able to feel it." He smiled under his hood when I nodded. "You will also develop telepathy, and telekinesis. You will be very powerful when you fully develop, Daelyn."

"What do I do now?" I asked.

"You need to come to me," he said. I turned my head to look at him, confused. "Only I can train you to harness your powers. Only an energy demon can train another to harness their energies. If not, your energy will become so abundant it could kill you," he turned his head to me. "Or someone you care about."

"But I don't want this," I said, resting my forehead on my knees. "I just want a normal life."

"I'm sorry," he apologized quietly. "I would have told you more about what would happen before I gave you your life back if we had the time. But if we hadn't acted when we did.."

He didn't need to finish. If I hadn't made my decision when I did it would have been too late. Spirit World would have found my spirit and taken me away. It was as if everything I thought to be life was flipped upside down in the blink of an eye. I was turning into a demon. I was a psychic. I had spiritual awareness. Spirit World was after me. Yusuke was a demon. Keiko had lied to me all these years. And I was in danger of being hunted down by my friends.

I turned to look at the man who sat next to me, his face partially covered in hooded darkness. I shifted where I sat, sitting on my knees and facing towards him, my knees brushing his leg. I could feel his eyes on me as I lifted my hands to his hood. I pushed the hood down with no protest from him. I sat back on my knees as lilac colored eyes stared back at me. His skin had a slight sun kissed tan to it. His eyes were the color of the freshly bloomed lilacs that my mom used to grow in the back yard. His hair was long and drawn into a low pony tail at the base of his neck. It reminded me of the color of the sky.

"What's your name?" I breathed.

"Seikatsu," he said, a smile pulling at one side of his lips. He leaned forward, one of his hands coming up to my neck. He pulled me the rest of the way to him and pressed his lips to mine. Before I could react he pulled away, his face only a breath away. "Our time runs short," he breathed. "Run."

* * *

><p>My eyes flew open and I was blinded by the sudden brightness. I could hear voices talking around me. I tried to turn my head but was stopped by the feeling of tubes in my throat. A surge of strength pumped into my body. My hand found the IV and cords on my left arm. Before I could grab them and yank them out, a hand grabbed mine and pulled it away. David's face hovered over mine.<p>

"You aren't supposed to be awake," he said sadly. I couldn't answer him through the tubes in my throat. I watched as he leaned over to the IV bag and pressed something on the machine it was hooked to.

My eyes rolled over to the other side of the room. Keiko and Yusuke stood there. Once again, Keiko's face was drawn in concern, but I could feel apprehension coming from her also. I met Yusuke's gaze head on and he clenched his jaw. The uncertainty poured off of him like steam of a hot kettle.

I felt my eye lids getting heavy and turned my eyes back to David to brushed my bangs out of my face.

"Sleep." he said, kissing my forehead. "Don't fight it. When you wake up, we'll get to go home."

I wanted to protest. I fought against the drugs in my system and struggled against him. I wanted the tube out of my throat. I wanted the cords that connected me to all these machines off of me. My chest ached as I tried to fight against David who was trying to keep me still.

"Yusuke," he called over his shoulder.

I fought harder when I heard his name. I managed to get my foot up to the guard rail on the side of the bed and kicked with all of my might. I heard a loud snap as it flew across the room. I rolled away from David before either him or Yusuke could react. I landed on my knees at the side of the bed and with shaking hands I yanked on the tube in my throat.

I gagged hard enough that my body convulsed. With one more hard yank I pulled the tube out with a cough that wracked at my entire body. I grabbed for the cords attached to me when I felt Yusuke standing over me. I pushed myself away from him, standing on shaking knees.

He had his arms out, a weary look on his face. David and two nurses stood behind him. I could feel the horror from Keiko who stood back with her hands covering her face. I took another step away from him, knocking the IV stand over. My mind almost instantly started feeling a little clearer as the drugs in the bag were no longer being pumped into my veins.

"Don't touch me," I growled at Yusuke as he took a step closer. My throat was raw from the tube that I had yanked out, making my voice hoarse.

"Don't make me do this," Yusuke answered, taking another step closer. "Don't fight us."

David said something to him from behind him. And it was if I had watched it in slow motion. Yusuke blink, and start to turn his head. That was my chance. I yanked the IV out of my arm, blood immediately spilling down to the tile. I darted to my left to get passed them.

Arms wrapped tightly around me, pinning both my arms to my side and they hugged me to their body. They brought me to the floor as I tried to kick away from him. David quickly grabbed my legs as one of the nurses plunged a syringe into my leg.

My body immediately went limp. My head rolled back onto the shoulder of the one who captured me. With my eyes rolling up, I met the chocolate brown gaze of Yusuke.

"You..aren't even human," I struggled out. I wasn't sure he heard me between the slurring from the medication and the hoarseness of my voice.

"Yeah," he agreed picking me up from the ground and taking me over to the bed. "And soon you won't be either."

* * *

><p>This chapter has A LOT of symbolism. It kind of stems from that I personally believe that dreams are our subconscious mind telling us about ourselves or a situation around us that we may or may not actively know about. I know in the older chapters I wrote of Daelyn's subconscious in her dreams but I never explained fully why I chose the things I did. I can tell you one thing it took me about two hours to fully decide on every aspect of scenery in her dreams haha.<p>

So, if you are interested in why I chose everything, I'm going to list it here. You are more than welcome to skip over it if you'd like. It's not anything super critical to the story line haha. I just like symbolism. A lot of these have multiple meanings. But, its up to you all to decide which meaning is what in her dream.

**Sunflowers** - To see a sunflower in your dream symbolizes warmth, abundance, longevity, and prosperity. The sunflower also serves to point you in the right direction and is a source of spiritual guidance. Even through difficult times, you will persevere. Alternatively, the sunflower denotes haughtiness. You may be deceived by the false appearance of someone.

**Wind **- To dream the wind is blowing symbolizes your life force, energy, and vigor. It reflects changes in your life. Alternatively, the dream suggests that you need to pick up your pace and work on achieving your goals more quickly and efficiently. To dream of strong or gusty winds represent turmoil and trouble in your life. You are experiencing much stress in some waking situation.

**Beach **- To see the beach in your dream symbolizes the meeting between your two states of mind. The sand is symbolic of the rational and mental processes while the water signifies the irrational, unsteady, and emotional aspects of yourself. It is a place of transition between the physical/material and the spiritual. To dream that you are on the beach and looking out toward the ocean indicates unknown and major changes that occurring in your life. Consider the state of the ocean, whether it is calm, pleasant, forbidding, etc. To dream that you are looking toward the beach suggests that you are returning to what is familiar to you. Alternatively, you may be adapting or accepting the changes and circumstances in your life.

**Ocean **- To see an ocean in your dream represents the state of your emotions and feelings. It is indicative of spiritual refreshment, tranquility, and renewal. Alternatively, the dream means that you are feeling empowered and unhindered. You have a positive outlook in life and you are not limited by anything.

**Ivory **- the color ivory signifies superiority and slightly tainted purity. Alternatively, ivory symbolizes tainted purity.

**Yellow **- the color yellow has both positive and negative connotations. If the dream is a pleasant one, then the color yellow is symbolic of intellect, energy, agility, happiness, harmony and wisdom. On the other hand, if the dream is an unpleasant one, the color represents deceit, disgrace, betrayal, cowardice and sickness. You have a fear or an inability to make a decision or to take action. Your desire to please others is at the risk of sacrificing your own needs and happiness.

**Blue **- Blue represents truth, wisdom, heaven, eternity, devotion, tranquility, loyalty and openness. The presence of this color in your dream may symbolize your spiritual guide and your optimism for the future.


	6. Chapter 6

When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves. ~Victor Frankl

Gravity

Chapter Six

My throat was on fire. I wanted to cough but there was something blocking my throat from contracting. There was hushing of voices around me as I attempted to open my eyes. When I managed to open them I had to squeeze them shut again at the bright light that burned and brought tears to my eyes.

"Daelyn," David's voice came quietly next to me. I looked over to the direction of his voice and looked at him through squinted eyes. His face slowly came into focus. Familiar azurite colored eyes crinkled with a smile as I met his gaze. "Hey," he said gently, brushing my hair away from my face. "Good to see you awake."

"Let's get this tube out shall we?" Dr. Tamura said, patting David on the shoulder. David stepped back as Dr. Tamura and a nurse peeled off the tape that was stuck around the tube to my mouth. "Okay, Daelyn, I need you to cough as we pull this out, okay?"

The nurse started to pull on the tube and as it was dislodged in my throat I had no choice but to cough. When it was finally out I sat back on the bed that had been put into a sitting position. David handed me a styrofoam cup of ice chips with a playful smile. I took it with out comment or expression. I stuck one of the ice chips in my mouth and closed my eyes as I let the cold water soothe the burning in my throat.

I listened as foot steps exited the room. My hearing was a lot better than before. I could hear David and Dr. Tamura talking outside the door after they shut it behind them.

"It's going to take her a while to ease back to normal, David," the doctor assured my brother. "She's had three very traumatic experiences in less than a week to her. It's been seven weeks for us, but she's been sedated." I wanted to scoff. I would have if my throat wasn't burning its way from inside out. Traumatic experiences? He had no idea.

"I know," David sighed. "I just..I hoped she would be okay. She's always been so strong."

"She's human," the doctor said sympathetically. I smiled cynically at that. "Give her time."

I moved my gaze over to the window next to me. The snow that had fallen before I was put in a coma had long since melted. But the gray overhang of clouds told me that another snow was getting ready to fall. I tuned David and my doctor out as their conversation turned medical. It was quiet in the room. The tv played silently across from my bed, the two couches in front of it looking like people had been sleeping there a while. My eyes closed and I rested my head against the headboard of my bed. I knew it had to have been Keiko. There was no other person it could have been. What the hell was I going to do?

I had to get away from here. I had to get away from them. But I couldn't leave David behind. Could I?

"Daelyn?" I opened my eyes to meet David's gaze. I had been so lost in thought that I didn't hear him come back in the room. "Are you okay?"

"I guess," I said, my voice raspy. I flinched at the burning in my throat. "My throat hurts."

"I know," he sighed. "Those tubes aren't the greatest. You'd think we'd have had some medical break through by now so we wouldn't have to use those," he shook his head. "The painkillers will kick in soon." He smiled at my expression when he said pain killers. "It's not morphine. You don't need that anymore."

"Why?" I asked, slightly confused.

"You've healed incredibly fast. I was worried that I was going to have to put in a request for extended leave, but you started healing so quickly.."

My hand lifted to my chest. When I had gone to sleep, I had been wrapped up in thick layers of gauze and ace bandage. Now it was wrapped lightly enough that I could feel the pucker of scars beneath the bandages. I felt my shoulders drop. I had been quietly hoping that with me turning into a demon the wounds would heal with no scars. But it was no such luck.

"When can I go home?" I asked.

"In my medical opinion I think you should be fine to leave tonight," David said, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Dr. Tamura wants to make sure you're..stable enough first."

"Because of my 'traumatic experiances'?" I asked, looking away from him.

"..Yeah," he said after a long moment. "So we should be able to go home tomorrow." He sat in the chair next to my bed. "Keiko was called into work about an hour ago. She's been staying here almost every night. She's worried about you. She should be back later this evening."

"I don't want her here," I said, refusing to look back at him. A new kind of pain clenched at my chest.

"What?" he asked, almost breathless. I knew I had taken him by surprise.

"I said I don't want her here," I repeated, stronger and fighting to keep my voice from cracking. I felt tears prick at my eyes. It hurt me to say that. Keiko was my best friend. She had been for years. But all those years she had lied to me. And now her husband and "Spirit World" were going to be after me because I wasn't supposed to be alive.

David sat in silence for a few moments before giving a quiet "Okay." He left the room I was guessing to call Keiko. When I heard the door shut I could barely hold on to the sob that threatened to tear through me. But I chewed it back and rubbed the tears from my eyes. I wasn't going to cry over the fact that she felt like she couldn't tell me all of this stuff. That was on her.

I settled back on the bed and stared out the window watching the first snow flake fall from the sky.

* * *

><p>The next morning I was discharged from the hospital just like David had said. It had been a quiet night. There wasn't much conversation on my part though David kept trying to pull it out of me. I just wasn't in the mood to talk. I was trying to figure out what to do about my situation. How was I supposed to deal with everything? What was I going to tell David? Could I tell David? I couldn't imagine what he would think about it. Probably check me into another part of the hospital where they keep people for mental instability.<p>

I was drawn from my thoughts as we pulled up to the familiar white house. I stepped out of the car, careful to not mess up the bandages on my chest. David grabbed the two bags from the back seat and I followed him up the pathway. As I stepped into the house, I could smell the staleness in the air. David obviously hadn't been staying at the house during my time at the hospital. The layer of dust on the surfaces told me that much. My brother was a neat freak. Any trace of dust sent him into a cleaning frenzy.

"Why don't you go shower while I clean up a little bit and get us together some breakfast?" he suggested, dropping the bags he was carrying to the floor.

I nodded and headed off to my room to gather clothes that didn't smell like hospital. My room was the same way it was when I left the day my world was flipped upside down. Bed unmade, clothes strewn on the floor. My eyes fell to the picture frame on my desk next to my closed laptop. It was a picture of Keiko and I on her wedding day. I had spent all of my free time earlier that summer teaching her and Yusuke their first dance. It hadn't been anything too technically difficult. A few spins and dips. Keiko had picked up on it quickly. But when it came to Yusuke, I was worried even on their wedding day he was going to step on her dress or feet. But to my surprise, he wanted to make sure that the day was _perfect_ for Keiko and he pulled through flawlessly. I felt a smile tug at my lips as I looked at the picture of both of us brightly smiling at the camera, her having to lean down a few inches to hug me. She was beautiful in her dress and veil.

I pursed my lips as the smile wiped itself away from my face as I placed the picture face down on my desk. I grabbed a change of clothes and headed for the bathroom.

With the door shut behind me, I turned the shower on and stripped out of the gross smelling clothes. I turned to my reflection to see my upper half still bound in bandages. I clenched my teeth as I slowly started to unwrap them. When the last of it had been removed, I stared at the scar running down the valley of my breasts to the top of my abdomen. Three more round and puckered scars were placed around it. All four were raised, and a deep pink, a striking contrast to my pale skin. I brushed my fingers across them and winced. They were tender and sensitive.

I turned away from my reflection, not wanting to look at the ruined skin any longer. I stepped into the shower, letting the white noise of the spray drown out my thoughts.

* * *

><p>After determining that my scars were healed enough that I didn't need to wear bandages unless they were starting to get too sensitive, David left me to finish getting dressed. I searched through my wardrobe searching for anything with a high enough neck line to hide it. Finally, after getting frustrated with over half my clothes before I found something sufficient enough to cover the ruined skin, the smell of breakfast drew me out of my bed room and into the kitchen. David was just setting the table and smiled up at me when I stood in the doorway.<p>

I smiled back when I recognized the classic American breakfast that our mom used to make us when we were kids. Pancakes, bacon and eggs. I sat at the table, and we started serving ourselves.

"How is it?" he asked, as I took my first bite of the pancakes.

"Not as good as Mom's," I poked at him, with a smile.

He answered with a laugh as he shook his head in agreement. The light hearted moment didn't last much longer as he cleared his throat, drawing my attention to him.

"Well, I hate to just drop this on you so suddenly, but I've been called to a conference up north," he said slowly, reading my expression. "I'll be gone for two weeks."

"Okay.." I said slowly. That was good news for me while I tried to figure out what I was going to do about my situation. I was also used to David having to leave for extended periods of times. It was something that I had to get used to quickly when he became a resident so young. Other big-wig doctors were infatuated with meeting such a young doctor.

"Part of the agreement on your early release was that you not be alone for an extended period of time for the next few weeks," he grimaced when he saw my expression sour. "Don't worry, I'm not making you come with me. I've asked Keiko and Yusuke to stay with you."

"..You what now?" I asked, blinking slowly, letting what he said process. I had to have heard that wrong.

"Keiko and Yusuke are going to come and stay with you. Or you could go stay with them."

"Are you fucking serious?" I asked, my appetite completely gone. "I would have rather gone with you!"

"What?" he asked, his brow drawing in confusion. "Keiko and Yusuke said it wouldn't be any problem at all."

"That's my point! I don't need a baby sitter!"

"That's not what this is, sis," he sighed. "Dr. Tamura is worried about your early release."

"Why?" I demanded, glaring at him. "I'm fine! You even said I don't have to wear bandages anymore."

"It's not that.." he said, avoiding my gaze. "He's worried about your mental stability. You had quite a few very traumatic experiences in a short period of time. It's standard procedure, Daelyn. But normally they have you stay in the hospital to be monitored. I fought to bring you home because I didn't want to leave you in the hospital while I was gone. I had no choice but to ask them."

"I don't want them here!" I exclaimed, standing from the table.

"What has gotten into you?" he asked, rising from his own seat, his brow drawn again. "Keiko is your best friend!"

"No she isn't!" I groaned loudly, rubbing the base of my palms into my eyes. "God, I would have rather stayed in the hospital."

"I'm starting to see why Dr. Tamura insisted," he said, pursing his lips as I glared at him. "You're not yourself. I didn't want to believe it, but being unusually angry is a sign not everything is okay."

"Not myself?" I laughed dryly. "You have no idea," I scoffed, leaving the room, stomping to the front door.

"I won't be here when you get back," he called after me.

I stormed my way down the sidewalk, the hair on the back of my neck bristled. Irritation rolled off my shoulders in waves. I would have gone to the studio but I didn't have my keys with me. Upon that realization my irritation doubled as my feet carried me further away from the house. I had no idea where I was going. I let my feet carry me where they pleased as I fumed in my head.

Maybe it was wrong of me to take my anger out on David. I wasn't angry at him. I understood that he had been off for seven weeks taking care of him. There was no way that he could turn down his job sending him to some conference. I just didn't want to face Keiko and Yusuke. How was I supposed to face them? Yusuke was going to try and take me to Spirit World. Spirit World wanted me dead, so Seikatsu said. Was I totally certain that was true? No. Was I going to risk it? Definitely not.

My feet had carried me to the park a few blocks away from the house. It was still pretty early in the morning, so no children were there. I huffed and headed into the park, passed the big toy's and over to the walking trail around the lake at the edge of the park. I headed down the trail, into the cover of the trees. I knew where I was headed, though it had been years since I had been there.

At the end of the trail where it circled back around to the main area of the park, there was a large hill that kids would sled down when it was snowy. The snow from the night before hadn't stuck. It had been just a few degrees too warm the few weeks before so the ground was still too warm. The soil beneath my feet was slightly damp from it, but it was quickly drying out in the morning sun. I reached the bottom of the hill and trekked up it about half way before sitting, facing out towards the trees and the lake. The dampness of the ground stuck to my jeans, but I paid no mind to it.

Seikatsu said that I needed to come to him. But how was I supposed to do that? How was I supposed to find someone that I've only actually seen their face one time? Like, did I not get the memo for some phone number I was supposed to call when I was slowly turning into a demon? A demonic help line?

While I was in my medically induced coma I didn't have any dreams. At least none that I remembered. That seemed to be the only way to talk to him, unless, of course, I was a spirit floating outside of my body, and that was not an adventure I wanted to go on again. I sighed, closed my eyes and tilted my head back feeling the sun beam down on me. It didn't do me any good worrying about it. Right now I just needed to focus on how to deal with Keiko and Yusuke.

It crossed my mind to simply not go home. But I knew that wasn't an option. I had no other place to go. I was just going to have to face them. Figure out what was going on, and hear their side of the story. But, I needed to be ready to run.

* * *

><p>A figure shadowed in darkness watched as the girl spent most of the morning staring out over the scenery of the hills of the park. The figure watched closely as emotions portrayed openly across her face. Irritation, anger, despair, calmness and everything in between. It had been following her since this morning when she left the hospital.<p>

At first the girl seemed like just a normal human. But the longer the figure looked on, the more it noticed the power swirling beneath her skin, just waiting to be released. The power grew by the minute. Slowly, but it was growing.

After the sun had reached the mid sky, the girl sighed and stood, heading back towards her home. She didn't notice the ruby eyes staring after her.

* * *

><p>David wasn't lying when he said he wasn't going to be home when I got back. I walked into an empty house after using the spare key hidden beneath a rock next to the porch. I walked into the kitchen to see the dishes had been cleaned and put away. A note was sitting on the table, David's neat hand writing saying "<em>Daelyn"<em>

I picked up the piece of paper, unfolding it.

_I'm sorry about this morning. I know I should have asked you what you wanted to do, but I jumped to conclusions. I'm sorry. I left you some money in the usual spot to get you through the next two weeks. _

_I hope you and Keiko can work out whatever happened between you two. She and Yusuke will be here around 3._

_All my love,_

_David._

I folded the note back with a sigh and tossed it back to the table. I felt guilty after this morning, blowing up on him the way I did. I would have to call him later and apologize. But I knew he would be on the road and I didn't want him using his phone and driving.

I looked at the time on the wall. Two-thirty. I had other things to deal with.

I busied myself with cleaning until I heard the knock at the door. I steeled myself and after a deep breath, I answered the door.


	7. Chapter 7

For every good reason to lie, there is a better reason to tell the truth. -Bo Bennet

Gravity

Chapter Seven

I regarded the two sitting across from me with a steely expression as the tea became cold in between us. I had one of my knees bent to my chest, wrapping one of my arms around it as I stared coldly at them. I could feel the guilt pouring of Keiko like a tidal wave. She could barely meet my gaze. Yusuke on the other hand met my gaze just as strong as I met his.

"Daelyn-," Yusuke began, sighing and drooping his shoulders.

"No," I cut him off. "You don't get to 'Daelyn' me. I ask the questions here." I turned my attention to Keiko. "How could you lie to me? All this time? How long have we been friends? And you couldn't trust me enough to tell me?"

"I'm sorry," she said, lowering her head. "I thought it would be too dangerous for you to know."

"Imagine my surprise when all of a sudden, surprise! I'm floating over my dead body! Next thing I know, I'm next to David while my cold dead body is being sliced open, and ribs cracked apart and David is barely holding it together," my voice cracked at the memory. "God, I've never seen David like that. In so much pain. Completely shattered," I rubbed my hands on my forehead, squeezing my eyes to fight the tears. "Then this random..figure shows up in this black cloak that only I can see and asks me if I want to live. He came to me the night before in my dreams and told me I was going to die. Imagine that. He was right. And he could give me my life back.

So I took it. I took the offer. When I was still asleep from the morphine when my stitch ripped because of some blue haired girl _floating_ outside of my fucking window, he came to me again. He warned me of you. He told me to fear you. That you were going to come and take me to spirit world because I'm not supposed to be alive." I looked back at the two who were staring at me. "Now tell me who I'm supposed to believe. The one who was up front with me about demons and Spirit World? Or my 'best friend' and her husband who have lied directly to my face for the last four and a half years?"

"I can assure you that we want to help you," Yusuke spoke up, his face completely serious, an unusual expression compared to his normal goofy face.

"How can I be sure?" I pressed.

"Because if I wanted to take you to Spirit World you would already be there by now," he said, crossing his arms. "Though you are stronger than you were before, you're still nothing compared to me, and that's just the truth. And if I couldn't do it myself, trust me, I've got three others to back me up with it."

"Daelyn, you have to believe us," Keiko pleaded.

I looked onto them for a few moments. I could feel the emotions from them. I could taste their truthfulness. Their will to want me to believe them. I felt my lip quiver as I lowered my head. The sob that I had been fighting since this morning finally crashed through, shaking my body violently.

"What's happening to me?" I heard Keiko stand and rush over to me, wrapping me in her arms. "I'm so scared. _God__,_ I'm so scared."

* * *

><p>Yusuke let me cry for a good hour before I finally started to calm down enough that I could pull myself together, though my face was still red and blotchy. After I had stopped sobbing, he stepped out of the room to make some phone calls to people. Keiko and I had moved to the living room. I rubbed my face as I took a shaky breath. Her hand rubbed comforting circles on my back.<p>

"I'm sorry I lied to you," she said quietly.

"It's okay," I whispered. "I over reacted. I'm just..I'm all scrambled up. I don't know what to think."

"I was too when I first found out about everything," she admitted. "I had no idea about anything until I made Botan, the blue haired girl outside your window, take me to a tournament that Yusuke was fighting in."

Yusuke came back into the room before I could answer. "The others are on their way," he said, sitting in a chair across from us.

"Others?" I asked, dread building in the pit of my stomach.

"They're friends," he assured me, seeing the expression on my face. "One has been following you all day."

"Yusuke!" Keiko exclaimed, glaring at him, when I stared at him eye wide. "Don't tell her that!"

"Well, it's better she find out now!" he defended. "I'm not trying to lie to her anymore than we already have!"

I let out a shaky sigh as I pushed my hair out of my face and pulled it over my shoulder, my hands shaking. I worked the curls into a loose braid, trying to deal with the fact that I had been followed all day, unknowingly. I jumped at the sound of a knock on the door. Yusuke stood to answer it as Keiko glared after him. I let out what felt like the millionth heavy sigh as I heard another voice enter the room.

I looked up and my gaze met a familiar face. He was tall, almost a head taller than Yusuke. His curly orange hair was styled up into a pompadour. Freckles covered his nose and cheeks. Brown eyes met my gaze as he gave me a sheepish smile which I really did try to return, but just didn't have it in me.

"Hello, Kuwabara," I greeted. "Are you a demon, too?" I asked.

"Ah..no. Just spiritually aware," he said, scratching the back of his neck.

I nodded and stood. "I'm gonna go wash my face," I said, dismissing myself. "Excuse me."

I couldn't leave the room fast enough as I hurried down the hall and into the bathroom. I slammed the door shut behind me, and locked it. Pressing my back to the door I leaned my head back and let out a shaky breath. I felt like my head was going to implode with the throbbing behind my eyes. Pushing away from the door, I turned on the cold tap on the faucet. The cold water on my face washed away the dried tears that had crusted themselves to my cheeks. It made me feel a little more human. I smiled cynically at that.

I dried my face on the hand towel hanging next to the sink and looked at my reflection. My cheeks were still red and splotchy, giving me the look of a rash on my cheeks. My eyes were blood shot and puffy. My curly black hair was matted around my bangs. I yanked my fingers through them trying to get the knots and tangles out. I got my unruly, curly hair from my mom. She never got the chance to teach me how to tame the mess before she was killed, so I was left trying to figure it out on my own. Though she never wanted me to cut my hair. Ever. Though it was curly, almost to the point of Kuwabara's curly mop, I had gotten my dads obsidian color that shined no matter how frizzy it was. She had always told me that my hair is what made me stand out from everyone else, and I should be proud of it. Yet, it was hard to be proud of it when I couldn't even run a brush through the tangles without turning into a fuzz ball.

I gave up trying to make myself look presentable. With a huff I exited the bathroom and made my way back to the living room. I heard a couple of new voices and groaned as I turned the corner into the living room.

"Dammit, was I the only person at that wedding that _didn't_ know about this shit?" I said, laughing dryly.

"My parent's don't know?" Keiko offered with a small smile.

"Hello, Daelyn," Shuichi greeted me with a kind smile. His rose red hair was pulled back into a low pony tail, his bangs still free and hanging over his emerald colored eyes. I nodded a greeting back, suddenly to exhausted to answer.

I glanced over the room, and my eyes fell on a figure standing in the corner. He was almost Yusuke's height, though his black hair gave him a few more inches. A white bandana was wrapped around his forehead. He wore all black. Black pants, with a simple black shirt, and black boots. He must have felt my gaze on him, because ruby red eyes opened and locked eyes with mine.

I turned my eyes to Keiko.

"Is this everyone or is there going to be anymore creepy looking people going to show up in my house?" I asked, referring to the man in the corner.

Yusuke and Kuwabara laughed out loud as Shuichi bit back a chuckle. Keiko gave me a sheepish look as she glanced over at the man who glared death towards me. I had no energy to care as I raised an eyebrow at him.

"This is everyone for now," Keiko answered.

"For now," I echoed, closing my eyes, the throbbing in my head intensifying.

"You should probably sit down," Shuichi's smooth voice said, concern touching his voice. "You look pale."

"That's just my face," I muttered, leaning against the wall and sliding down to the floor, wrapping my arms around my knees. I rested my forehead against my knees and closed my eyes, trying to ease the pain in my head. "So what happens now?" I asked.

"We need you to tell us everything from the beginning," Shuichi answered when everyone else was silent.

I took a deep breath and started from the beginning. About the dream I had before the shooting. The shooting, though I didn't see anything. I told them every detail of following my body around and the gruesome scene I saw. How the hooded figure found me in the operating room and told me he could give me life. His words of warning of how I need to be wary of them. The vivid dream I had of the sunflowers and the ocean. How he gave me energy of all three kinds and the demon energy is slowly turning my human body to demonic. He was something called an energy demon and that's what I was turning into. How he said he was the only one who could train me how to control this power.

"His name is Seikatsu," I said, tiredly. "I saw his face for the first time the last time I slept. He only comes to me when I'm actually sleeping. When I was in a medically induced coma, I didn't dream. Or at least I don't remember dreaming."

I jumped at the shrill of my cell phone ringing. I groaned and stood, pushing myself away from the wall. I shifted into the kitchen where I had left the phone abandoned, ignoring the group talking. I wasn't sure I wanted to know what they thought about what was going on. I answered the phone, breathing a tired hello.

"Daelyn?" David's voice came over the phone. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I answered his concern, praying silently that he didn't have one of his sixth sense moments and realize I was lying. "Just tired." My eyes fell on the microwave which read six in the afternoon. "It's been a long day."

"Yes," he breathed. "It has. Have you and Keiko worked everything out?" He asked, hopefully.

"Kind of," I answered honestly, casting a glance to the living room. My eye's met a ruby colored gaze. I held his gaze for a moment before tearing my eyes away. "We have a few friends over, so I should be getting back to them." I paused. "I'm sorry for this morning. I over reacted. I just..I'm really freaked out. About everything." I said, wishing I could tell him everything. But I knew that this was as close as I could get for now. Until I knew everything I didn't want to drag him into it. He had enough to worry about.

"It's alright, Daelyn. I understand. I'll let you get back to your friends. Call me if you need anything, okay?"

"Okay. Love you," I said.

"Love you, too."

With that I ended the call and left the phone abandoned on the table again. I entered the living room to have all eyes on me. I glanced around the room, my eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"What?" I asked slowly.

"Kurama has suggested that Hiei stay near by for now because he can watch your dreams in case Seikatsu tries to contact you again," Keiko explained, her fingers fiddling in her lap. I blinked at her, waiting for a moment while she judged my reaction.

"I'd have a proper response for you if I knew who the hell you were talking about," I said, my eyelids heavy.

She blinked at me in surprise. "Oh! I'm so sorry! That's Hiei," she said, pointing to the man that was leaning in the corner of the room, who looked angry beyond belief. "And Shuichi is Kurama."

I looked towards the red head who gave me a small smile. "..I don't think I'm mentally stable enough to even hear that story right now," I said after a moment, closing my eyes. "I need to go lay down. Can we finish this later? I've told you every thing I know."

"Do you want me to wake you for dinner?" Keiko asked before anyone could protest.

"Sure," I murmured. I turned away from the group and headed back down the hallway and to my bedroom. I opened my door and when my gaze landed on the bed, I made my way for it, the open door long forgotten in my mind. By the time my head hit the pillow, I was already asleep.

* * *

><p>"She just said that she see's him when she goes to sleep!" Kuwabara protested.<p>

"We can't exactly just keep her from sleeping," Keiko said, rolling her eyes.

Hiei was no happy about this arrangement. He was put in charge of watching over the girl. Meaning he wouldn't be able to return to demon world any time soon. For the first time he curse his Jagan. He was the only one who could watch over her dreams and her psychic abilities. Although he tried to argue against it, it was his given job after the demon world tournament to make sure there was no demon interference in the human world. And this girl was a direct result of that.

With a scoff, he moved to the door and threw it open. He walked out of the house and closed the door behind him. The sun was starting to set behind the other houses in the neighborhood. Not caring if any humans were around to see, he jumped to the roof, and moved towards the large tree that grew from the back yard of the house.

The large oak was taller than the house. He leapt into the tree, and sat on one of the sturdier branches. After struggling for a moment to get comfortable, he leaned back against the trunk. He had suddenly grown a number of inches over the few recent years, leaving him only a few inches shy of Yusuke's height.

He closed his eyes and opened his Jagan beneath the white cloth that covered it, and turned his focus to the girl.

* * *

><p>I was sitting in the sand staring out into ocean. The ivory colored dress was tucked beneath me as I buried my toes in the sand. The breeze was gentle of the ocean, blowing my hair back out of my face. I closed my eyes and a smile brushed my face as I took in the cool sensation. It was peaceful here. Part of me wished that I could just stay here. Away from all the craziness that was in the waking world. Away from "demons" and "spirit world". To just stay here in the warmth of my subconscious and enjoy the peace. But the other part of me knew that wasn't an option and in a few hours I would wake and be thrust back into that now chaotic world.<p>

I heard foot steps approaching me, and the breeze went still. I turned my head and watched as Seikatsu, no longer hooded, stood next to me. He looked down at me, a small smile gracing his features.

"I understand that you've spoken with your friends," he said. I could hear a strange tone in his voice but I couldn't place what it was. "How did that go?"

"I don't know," I answered truthfully, turning my eyes back to the ocean in front of me. "They told me to trust them."

"And do you?"

"...I don't know," I admitted after a long moment. "I don't know what to believe."

"I don't blame you for that," he said, nodding. "It's a lot to take in."

"How am I supposed to find you?" I asked after we sat in silence for a few moments.

"When you truly want to find me, you will," was his response. I looked up at him, my brow drawn in confusion. He kneeled next to me. His hand came to rest on the top of my scars. "Our souls are connected now. My life energy that I gave you tied us together. When you truly in your soul want to find me, it will lead you to me." He raised his hand to brush stray hairs out of my face. Lilac eyes stared deep into mine. His face began to move closer to mine. He paused just a breath away. "We aren't alone."

He was no longer looking at me, but over my head. I twisted around and saw Hiei standing a few feet away, his arms crossed and glaring harshly at Seikatsu. Seikatsu stood and flashed Hiei a strange smile. I felt his presence because menacing. The wind came back in full force, picking up the sand and whipping it around. The ocean started crashing at the shore. I stood and backed away from him, suddenly much more wary of the demon next to me.

His eyes fell to me once again. He bowed, and disappeared. And just like that, the wind slowed to a pleasant breeze once again. I turned to face Hiei who was staring at me with a harsh calculating stare.

"If that does not tell you who to trust, then you are an idiot," he spat.

And then I was alone.

* * *

><p>Woo, another chapter. I'm trying to push out a chapter a day while this is under revision. I'm forcing myself to sit and focus haha.<p> 


	8. Chapter 8

"Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them - that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like." - Lao Tzu

Gravity

Chapter Eight

I awoke with a start when Keiko knocked on my door. She smiled at me as she stood in my door way.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. Dinner is ready," she said, as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. I stood from the bed and followed her into the kitchen. It was dark. I had slept for a few hours. My stomach protested at me when I smelled the food wafting down the hallway.

"Did everyone leave?" I asked, taking note that only Keiko and Yusuke were in the kitchen.

"Kurama and Kuwabara left," Yusuke said. "Hiei is still around here somewhere. He's not a very social shrimp," he said, cracking a grin. I felt a wave of irritation come from outside. "Did you have any visitors during your nap?" he asked, pulling away my attention from the strong emotion. I sat at the table, scratching at my hair.

"Yeah," I admitted. "Yeah, I did."

He nodded. He exchanged glances with Keiko, before turning his gaze back to me. "We were thinking of taking you some place safe for the next two weeks."

"Some place safe?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Do you remember Genkai and Yukina?" Keiko asked. I nodded. They were at the wedding. It was the first and only time I met the old woman and the pretty mint haired girl. "They live in a temple a few hours south of Tokyo."

"And it's safe there?" I asked.

"Yes," Yusuke assured me. "We would be staying there until we figured out how much of a threat this Seikatsu is."

"Okay," I agreed. "When do we leave?"

"Really?" he asked, blinking in disbelief. "You'll come that easily?"

I shrugged, chewing a spoon full of rice. "Why not?" I asked swallowing. "Theres..something not right with Seikatsu. He's hiding something. I felt it n my dream. I'm still not totally convinced you aren't going to try and kill me. But I'd rather face maybe being murdered than face his unknown intentions. We'll just say it's the lesser of two evils right now."

"Okay then," he said clapping his hands together. "We'll eat and when you finish packing we'll go."

* * *

><p>"He's not riding the train?" I asked, looking out towards the trees. I could feel Hiei amongst the shadows of the trees, even darker than the night around us.<p>

"No. He's fast enough to get there before we do," Keiko explained. I furrowed my brow at her and nodded slowly.

It was almost eleven by the time the train departed. Apparently Kurama and Kuwabara had caught an earlier train to head out to the temple. Kuwabara was too eager to see Yukina to wait for us. The seats on the train were set up in groups of four. Keiko and Yusuke sat together, and I sat across from them. Keiko had long since drifted off to sleep, resting her head against Yusuke's shoulder. Sleep threatened to take me over as well, but I fought it, sipping on a free coffee. I preferred coffee to tea any day, but David hated the smell of it, so we never bought any.

"You should probably get some sleep," Yusuke said quietly, as to not disturb his wife or any other passengers sleeping.

"People visit me when I sleep," I said giving him a small smile. "Sleeping is what got me in this mess anyway. So I think I'm done with sleeping for a while."

We passed the rest of the train ride in silence. I was thankful for that. I was able to gather my thoughts in peace. Everything was so hard to wrap my mind around. All of this had happened over a matter of weeks, but due to the coma that I had been put it in it was only a matter of...three days to me. How was I supposed to go on from here? What was I supposed to do?

Why did Seikatsu help me in the first place?

He said that my soul had been preparing to leave my body because I was about to die. That spirit world was coming to take my soul. If he knew it was about to happen why didn't he do anything to stop it if he was just going to help me afterwards? Suspicion started to build in my stomach. If he knew something was about to happen, and Yusuke, who had ties with the spirit world, didn't know that I was going to be shot, what did that say about Seikatsu? How did he know something about me when I had never met him before, when someone I had considered a good friend of mine didn't?

I looked over at Yusuke, who's gaze was focused outside the window. I glanced around to the people around us. Though many were sleeping, some were still awake, and close enough to hear our conversation. I pursed my lips. I wanted to ask him if he did know. But I couldn't while there were so many humans around. It did not escape me that I just had referred to the general population as humans.

I grumbled in my head about not being able to ask what I wanted to when a realization came back to me. Seikatsu said I was going to be telepathic. My empathy had already started to develop. Did that mean my other psychic abilities had started to also, and I just hadn't bothered to use it?

I turned to face Yusuke fully. He was too engrossed in his own thoughts to notice. I squinted my eyes trying to focus. I felt nothing after a few moments. I tried stretching my mind, metaphorically speaking, towards him, but still didn't feel anything. After a few minutes, I gave up.

_Dammit,_ I though sitting back dejectedly in my seat.

Yusuke's head snapped up, eyes landing directly on me.

_...Daelyn?_ I heard in my mind.

I blinked. _Can you hear me?_ I asked, unsure I heard what I did.

_Yes_, his eyes narrowed. _How are you doing this so soon?_

_I don't know, _I pursed my lips. _I just..tried. I didn't know if it would work. _

_Huh. _He was surprised. I could feel it flowing off of him. _Well, good job. Now get out of my head._

_I have a question for you,_ I said, starting to feel myself getting pushed out of his mind. Now that I knew I was speaking to him in his mind, I could feel it. A subconscious tingling in my own mind. _Did you..um..did you know I was going to get shot that day?_

He didn't answer me at first. I was starting to think he had already pushed me out of his head and he didn't hear me.

_Why would you ask me that?_ He finally answered roughly. I could see his distaste on his face. _If I knew you were going to get shot, don't you think I would have stopped it? Don't be ridiculous. I'm going to pretend you never asked me that question._

_I'm sorry,_ I apologized, clenching my teeth. I hated apologizing. But I knew Yusuke was truly angry I asked that. _I just...I'm trying to get my thoughts together._

_It's okay, kid. Just don't ask me anything stupid like that ever again._

With that I pulled out of his mind and I gave him a small smile. He returned it with a nod and went back to his own thoughts and staring out the window.

* * *

><p>A few hours was a MAJOR understatement. It was nearly dawn by the time we arrived at the final stop for the train. I could already see the sky beginning to change color over the tops of the trees. And we were the last people to get off the train.<p>

With all three of our bags slung over Yusuke's shoulder, I followed after the two as they headed down a worn path. My eyes fell on the soon to become familiar form of Hiei leaning against a tree just ahead of us. Though Keiko told me that he could keep up with us, I didn't completely believe it. But as ruby red eyes opened as we passed, and made eye contact with me, I suddenly realized that all of the men at my house, just a few hours ago, had an amount of power that I had no idea about. Hiei fell into step with us just a few paces behind me. I could feel his eyes staring holes into the back of my head. My irritation rose bit by bit the longer he stared. What was his problem? If he was so fast why didn't he go on ahead to the temple instead of staring at the back of my head?

"Do you have a problem?" I snapped, whipping my head around to glare at him. "Because if you don't could you please, revert your eyes to _somewhere_ other than _the back of my fucking head?_"

He returned my glare with just as much force. "I'm just trying to figure out who would be interested in such a _stupid human woman_ enough to change her into a demon."

Before I could retort, Yusuke let out a boisterous laugh. "I'm glad to see you two getting along so well." He turned his attention back to me. "You better get used to it Daelyn. You're gonna be stuck with that shrimp until we can capture Seikatsu."

"What?" I seethed. I could feel Hiei's own irritation bubble up, like bile in my throat.

"You see, Hiei's got this thing called the Jagan. That's how he can see into your dreams. He can also let us know if Seikatsu or any other bad guy shows up so we can get to you. So, obviously, he was our first choice to be your body guard."

If I had something in my hand to throw at his smug face, I would have. "Why was I not informed of this?!"

"Because someone wanted to go take a nap~," he said in a sing-song voice. Keiko smacked him, a lot less harder than I wanted to, but she still smacked him.

"Be quiet! You don't need to tease them!" she scolded, glaring at him.

I heard a whiz by my ear, causing me to flinch. A pebble smacked into the back of Yusuke's head with quite a bit of force.

"What the hell?!" he exclaimed, rubbing the back of his head and scowling at me. "I'm gonna get you back for that!"

"I didn't do it!" I exclaimed back. I could tell he didn't believe me. I whipped my head back to Hiei who had a smug smirk on his face. "Bastard," I spat.

"I heard that!" Yusuke yelled back at me.

"I wasn't talking to you!"

* * *

><p>After a long walk through the woods and up a never ending stair case, I was ready to rip my hair out between dealing with Yusuke and feeling Hiei glare at the back of my head. It was also passed dawn by the time we reached the top of the stairs, finally reaching Genkai's temple. Keiko did her best to try and get my mind off the two, but between the silent, swirling irritation from Hiei and Yusuke's pestering, it didn't do much good.<p>

I followed Keiko into the temple, ready to be away from the two. I could hear Kuwabara somewhere in the temple. Keiko headed down the hall, leaving the two men behind as I followed after her. She made it to an open door way, and motioned me to follow her in the room. It was a dinning room. At the table sat Kurama at one end, sipping on tea, and the other Yukina, the mint haired girl, and Kuwabara, swooning over her.

"Oh! Hello!" Yukina greeted, bowing her head with a warm smile. I bowed my head and smiled back in return.

"Glad to see you made it safely," Kurama greeted us with a smile as we sat down.

"Not without a few bumps in the road," I said, casting a darkened stare at Hiei who walked passed the door, following after Yusuke. He returned the glare, and then he was out of my sight.

"Yes, that is expected with this group," he said, smiling apologetically.

The morning passed as quietly as it could with Kuwabara fretting over Yukina. It was sweet, to be honest. He was obviously infatuated with the girl. It was easy to understand why. She was just as sweet as she was pretty. She fretted over everyone having tea, and even made me coffee when Keiko had mentioned something about it, though I assured her tea was fine. Keiko assured me that's just how Yukina was. I gave her a sincere thank you when she handed me the cup of coffee.

Soon, noon time came, without seeing Yusuke, Hiei or Genkai once. And that was changed when Yusuke smacked his hand on the door way to get out attention.

"Genkai wants to see you kid," he said. He grinned at me when I stood to follow him, causing me to give him a suspicious look.

"You look like your up to something," I said slowly.

"Nope," he said, the end of his word popping.

I continued to stare after him suspiciously as we headed down twists in the hallway. Finally we came to a closed door. He slid the door opened and motioned me inside. It was dark. The door snapped shut behind me. I started to turn to look back at the now closed door, when a large ball of light appeared.

And it was flying right at me.

* * *

><p>Three chapters in two days? Well, I would say that's progress, wouldn't you?<p> 


	9. Chapter 9

Have patience. Everything is hard before it becomes easy. -Saadi

Gravity

Chapter Nine

I was barely able to run out run the way of it.

_Holy shit,_ I thought as I ran out of the way of another ball of light. _They really are trying to kill me. _Another orb came flying at me, but instead of running from it, I ran towards it. At the very last second, I dropped back and slid under it. Rushing back to my feet, I charged forward and grabbed for whoever was throwing those orbs of light at me.

I was surprised at the size of the wrist I grabbed. I was able to fully wrap my fingers around the petite wrist. My eyes followed the arm _down_ to the face of the old woman that I had met four years ago. Genkai's eyes were squinted as she peered up at me.

"If you're going to try and kill me you should at least me a chance to run or defend myself or something," I muttered letting go of her wrist. "Probably run though. Cause whatever you did with those lights was some crazy shit." She quirked a smirk at me as her eyes narrowed.

She reached up next to her and turned the switch on a lantern, illuminating a circle around us. "For having such pathetic energy I'm surprised you could even see those shots," she scoffed. "I see you're still worried that we're going to kill you."

"Would you not be?" I asked, crossing my arms and pursing my lips.

"Rest assured, if they wanted you dead, you would not be standing here."

She turned away from me and I followed her to the door.

"So I've heard," I grumbled. I made sure to keep a few paces behind her. I kept a skeptical eye on her as I followed her. She paused in front of a sliding wooden door.

"This will be your room," she said. I watched her closely for a moment, and slowly slid the door open. I turned to look back at her, but she was already gone.

I shook my head and stepped into the room, closing the door behind me. My bag that I had packed was sitting on the bed that sat below the only window in the room. The walls were made of the same wood as the floor and ceiling, and bare. On one of the walls was another sliding door that I was guessing opened to a closet because there was no other furniture in the room.

My ears picked up the soft vibration from my cell phone in my bag. Reaching into the front pocket where I had put it, I pulled it out, my eyes scanning across the screen. I was mildly surprised that I got any reception on the mountain, being so far away from civilization.

It was a text message from David.

_I've been trying to get a hold of you all day. Where are you?_

I sighed and pursed my lips, trying to come up with an excuse.

_Sleeping._ I typed back. He'd believe that. _Because my annoying brother isn't home who wakes me up at the crack of dawn._

I got a vibration in response before I could put my phone down.

_Well, maybe your annoying brother wouldn't wake up his annoying sister if she didn't sleep all day._ I grinned at his response as another text came through. _And get your butt out of bed. _

_Quit bugging me and get back to work._ I replied back. I waited for a moment and smiled, throwing my phone back on the bed. My smile fell as I looked around the barren room. Two weeks. That's all I had to make it through before I could go home. At least that's what they told me. Was I certain they weren't going to kill me? Not yet. But after Genkai's surprise attack, I was a little more likely to believe they weren't. Though she was an old woman, I knew she could have killed me as easily as batting an eye. I was weak, not stupid.

Yusuke had told me all about her on the way to the train station. She was known all through out the Demon World and the spiritually aware humans of Human World as being one of the strongest psychics that ever lived. How else would she have trained someone as hard-headed as Yusuke? She was a tough teacher. When he had seen the look that crossed my face when he said teacher, he assured me that she would not be training me. Since the end of the Demon World tournament, which he has yet to fully tell me about, she refused to take anymore students. She wanted to live the rest of her days out in peace. I couldn't blame the old woman. Dealing with Yusuke for even a few hours was enough to make someone want to rip their hair out. Months at a time would make me swear off students all together also.

But he had nothing but respect for her. Though he called her "a miserable old hag" I could see the respect and admiration in his eyes. She was one of the first people to truly believe in Yusuke, though his street punk days. Feeling the waves of respect come off of the dark haired man even made me respect her. She must be something else for one of the strongest demons in Demon World to hold her in such high regard.

A knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts. I turned as a pair of cinnamon colored eyes met mine as their owner slid open my door.

"Koenma wants to see you," Keiko said, smiling brightly at me.

"Koenma?" I asked, starting to follow behind her. I paused and went to snatch my phone up and quickly hurried after her. If David started blowing up my phone again and I didn't answer he would have my head.

"The prince of Spirit World," she said, waving it off like it was nothing.

"Excuse me?" I asked, stopping where I was. I drew my eyebrows together and clenched my jaw. "I don't know if I'm okay with this. I'm pretty sure Genkai just tried to kill me.."

"Don't worry," she assured me, turning to face me. "Koenma's harmless. And I gave Yusuke a good slap when he told me what he and Genkai planned." She grinned wide as she held her right hand up and wiggled her fingers.

I sighed and laughed. "Okay," I said, following after her once again. "But if they try anything funny, I'm booking it down those steps before you can blink."

"Deal," she laughed.

After a few turns through the winding hallway, we were in the temples equivalent to a living room. Two couches, a few chairs, a coffee table in the center of all of it, and a large flat screen mounted on the wall. Kuwabara, Yukina, and the blue haired girl floating outside of my hospital window took up one couch, Kurama sat in one of the chairs, with Genkai a few seats away. Yusuke sat on the other couch and Keiko quickly went to sit next to her husband. Hiei was no where to be seen. A man I hadn't ever seen before was sitting in another chair. His hair was brown, hanging over his hazel eyes, with high cheek bones and smooth skin. Jr was also written on his forehead. He was sucking on a..pacifier?

"Hello!" the blue haired girl greeted, jumping out of her seat and bouncing over to me, her pony tail whipping around behind her. She took my hands and held them between us as she beamed at me. "It's so good to finally meet you! I'm Botan!"

"Yeah. You too. Especially since you didn't give me a heart attack this time," I said, forcing a smile at the sudden contact from her. Was she always this bubbly? I heard a few chuckles in the room.

"Oh, hush!" she pouted. I almost saw the cat like expression on her face. "That's all in the past! No need to bring that up!"

The man cleared his throat, gaining our attention. Botan bounced away from me, just as fast as she appeared.

"Daelyn," the man greeted, standing. "I am Koenma," he said bowing to me. I fidgeted with my fingers and looked away from him nervously. Wasn't I supposed to be the one bowing? Wasn't he a prince? "If you would please take a seat so we could talk."

I slowly made my way to the couch Yusuke and Keiko were sitting on, with all eyes on me, noting that it was also the closest to the hallway that led to the front door to the temple. With Keiko sitting between Yusuke and I, I was pretty certain I could get at least a little bit of a distance between us if I needed to run. I heard the sliding of the front door open, and foot steps down the hallway. My thought was quickly put out when the large form of Hiei appeared. He stood next to the door frame, his eyes hardened into a glare directed completely at me. I could feel satisfaction roll off of him.

"Now, if you would please explain to me what happened," Koenma said, sitting back in his chair again.

I twiddled with my fingers in my lap and chewed at the corner of my mouth, gathering my thoughts. I could feel everyone's eyes burning holes into me. "W-well.."

* * *

><p>Hiei saw the girls shoulder's slump in defeat when he stood next to the doorway. He almost smirked at that, seeing the defeat cross her face. The girl had no power. The energy she had was less than that of a demon infant, though he would not doubt that her energy was growing. He could feel the energy in her swirling as it tried to grow, and escape. He just could not understand why a demon would go out of his way to transform a weakling human into one of the most powerful types of demon that existed.<p>

She was small. Almost smaller than he used to be. Definitely thinner, with almost no muscle tone to her body. Her hair was a pile of black mess attempted to be tamed in some sort of braid. Her skin was almost a sickly pale, further showing her human weakness as he eyed a few bruises and scratches on her arms that she received on their walk to the temple. But her eyes stood out more than anything to him. The color of azurite. They almost glowed against her skin and hair.

He felt his dragon stir underneath his skin. He held back a growl at the sensation as he crossed his arms. Her gaze flickered back to him for a few moments, pausing in her sentence to Koenma. He glared back at her and she quickly drew her gaze away, her body stiffening. His dragon had been acting up since yesterday. He could feel it vibrated in his arm when the girl had come into the living room after he heard her crying in the bathroom.

Feeling a new pair of eyes on him, he pulled his gaze away from the girl. Kurama's calculating stare greeted him from across the room. He could tell the fox was pondering something, the way his eyes were slightly narrowed. Hiei turned his attention away from the group in front of him, choosing instead to stare out the window next to him.

* * *

><p>"Yes, they've already told me that this 'Seikatsu' is an energy demon," Koenma said, crossing his arms and shifting in his seat. He had his eyes closed in thought. I could feel my skin crawling as I felt every emotion in the room. Especially the frustration coming from Hiei. He was almost over powering all of my other senses. I wanted to scream at him to leave or to take some midol or <em>something.<em> How was I supposed to focus with his emotions fluctuating so quickly, between irritation, anger, frustration, and back around again? At least everyone else's was at a constant one or two. "Well, I'll have my staff search our archives for anything we have on Seikatsu. In the mean time," I blinked, and reached out to catch as he tossed something to me. I held it up, and gave him a confused stare. A golden egg?

"What does she need a spirit beast for?" Yusuke piped up. "She's already alive without the 'helpfulness' of Spirit World."

"I'll choose to ignore that last part of your statement," Koenma scowled at him. "More or less, I'm curious," he said standing, and tucking his hands in his pockets. "Spirit World has never been able to study an energy demon so closely. I'm interested as to what will happen with her spirit beast."

"Spirit beast?" I asked, suddenly wary of the small egg.

"That egg will grow as your energy grows," he explained. "Yusuke had one when he died. As it grows, it feeds off of the energy you give it. If it's good energy and you have a good soul, it will hatch into a creature in likeness to your soul that will guide you. If it's evil energy and you have an evil soul, it will hatch into a creature that will consume you, body and soul." I gave him a startled look.

"You people really are trying to kill me," I said, almost ready to throw the egg across the room and run out of the room. All I would have to do to get by Hiei was duck as he reached for me. Size wasn't everything, and I was nimble. I had a lot of stamina. If I tried hard enough I could make it down those steps in ten minu-

"Don't worry," Koenma said, his tone light, cutting off my train of thought. "I assure you, we are not trying to kill you. If Yusuke can hatch Puu from his soul, I doubt yours will be evil."

"Watch it, pacifier breath," Yusuke snapped at him, standing quickly and clenching his fist at the prince. "I'm still not afraid to knock your teeth in!"

"Puu?" I blinked. "What's a Puu?"

* * *

><p>I was taken back by the size of the creature in front of me, when the large rice paper and wooden door was pushed back. The blue bird was twice my size, with a mane of black hair running down it's long neck. It had two floppy ears on the side of it's head. It's two large brown eyes studied me for a moment.<p>

"Puu," it coo'd as Yusuke ran his fingers through it's fur.

"Though this is not what Puu looked like at first," Koenma sniggered next to me. Yusuke glowered at him. "He was much smaller, and cuter before. Needless to say, I doubt that egg will hatch anything evil. I've gone over your file a number of times now, and you've done nothing that stands out as evil to me. Just consider it simply as research," he said, smiling down at me. I blinked up at him and nodded, looking down at the small egg in my hands. "Yusuke's egg took nearly a year to hatch. But I doubt yours will take any longer with a month. It grows as you get stronger. Your energy is going to grow faster and faster every day. It should hatch before your full transformation."

After a few more words with Yusuke, Koenma bid me farewell.

"Wait!" I called out to him, as he was a small distance away from Yusuke and I on the patio. "I-I have a question." He paused to look back at me, waiting. "Was I supposed to die that day?" I asked, my sentence almost forming one word. "Seikatsu said that my soul was preparing to leave my body because I was supposed to die and I just.." I trailed off.

"No," Koenma answered without hesitation. "You weren't supposed to die for a very long time." And with that, he was gone.

I stood there for a moment, staring down at the egg in my hands. Yusuke clapped me on the shoulder as he walked by, leaving me alone with Puu, who stretched his neck out and laid his head out on the patio, bathing in the setting sunlight.

* * *

><p>Everyone was so <em>loud.<em>

Everyone besides Koenma had stayed at the temple. They laughed and talked loudly, alcohol flowing between them. I sat at the back of the room, watching them with humor at their antics. I wasn't sure when I had made the realization, but I knew this group could be unreserved with each other. These friends were friends longer than anyone knew of my existence. They had fought next each other, protected one another, killed for the other.

Their friendship ran deeper than just friendship.

I felt a vibration in my pocket, and was thankful for the savior of my brother. I slipped out of the room unnoticed.

* * *

><p>"Hello?" the girl said, his skin prickling at her voice. His attention was drawn away from the fresh snow falling as she slid the front door to the temple open. She jumped, almost dropping the phone in her hands when she noticed him sitting on the patio, but recovered quickly. "Y-yeah, I'm here. Sorry. Saw a spider."<p>

He watched her closely as she slid the door shut behind her and moved to the other side of the patio, refusing to look his way. He heard the sound of a male on the other side of the device. She smiled at something he said, tucking her hair behind her ear. His dragon rumbled under his skin. He scoffed, clenching his fist and glaring down at his arm.

He felt her eyes on him for a moment before turning her attention away, answering something back to the male.

"Yes, yes, I will," she sighed. "Yes, David, I promise." She paused, listening to him respond. "Would you go get some sleep instead of annoying me?" she asked, smiling. "Good night. Love you, too."

She tucked the phone away into one of her front pockets and stepped out to the edge of the patio. He watched her for a few moments longer, before staring out into the falling snow once again. She sat, her legs crossed as she leaned back on her hands.

She kept silent as the snow fell around them, blanketing the forest and mountain in a blanket of white.

* * *

><p>Sort of jumpy right around the end. Sorry! I'm trying to rush to get this out so I can power down my computer. We've got storms coming in tonight and we all remember what happened the last time I lost all of my writing.<p>

And where did all the other chapters go?! I deleted them. I want to make sure everyone has a chance to read them as the chapters get published, because well. I'm hoping to update quickly. And I got tired of having to go through the effort of replacing chapters. So, there 'ya have it.

Also! I'm considering changing the title of the story. Since my revamping, editing, and rethinking of this story is panning out, the way I want to go with this story the title just doesn't fit anymore like it would have back in '11. Would anyone be upset if I did?

Leave me a review and let me know what you think!


	10. Chapter 10

We know what we are, but know not what we may be. -William Shakespear

Gravity

Chapter Ten

I was beginning to rethink my decision of protesting sleep. The morning was crisp as I stood outside, looking out over the snow laden ground. After fending off sleep all night, even after everyone had retired for the night, I was exhausted. I wanted nothing more than to curl up under my blankets and sleep for a week, but I knew if I slept I would have to come face to face with Seikatsu. That was something I wasn't ready to do.

Everyone had left early this morning after only a few hours of sleep. All that was left in the temple was Genkai, Yukina, Hiei, Kurama and myself. Yusuke assured me that I would be safe at the temple. Between Genkai and Hiei, anything that was stupid enough to ambush the temple would be met with a swift end. He wanted to stay with me until the end of the two weeks, but his in-law's would have his hide if he took off anymore time from the ramen shop. Keiko sighed and nodded in agreement to that. I assured them I would be fine. They would be back in a little less than two weeks to bring me back home.

My hands in my hoodie pocket twirled the golden egg as I stared out in front of me. I pulled it out of my pocket when I felt it pulsate. The egg was warm in my hand. It almost seemed if was bigger than just a few hours ago.

"_A spirit beast is different to each person," Koenma said as we walked down the hallway towards Puu. "It's own physical body will change with the power of your energy. It is both a part of you and separate from you. If you are happy, it will be happy. If you are sad, it will be sad. If you die, it will die."_

"Daelyn?" a soft voice called behind me. "Breakfast is ready," Yukina smiled when I turned toward her.

I returned her smile and followed after, tucking the egg back into my pocket. The egg gave another pulse as it settled against my stomach. I was almost growing fond of the little egg.

It was just Yukina and I sitting at the table. I could feel Genkai and Kurama somewhere in the temple, and Hiei somewhere outside. It was strange that I could feel their presence around me. Genkai's energy was mellow, but deep. It was still on top, but I could feel it roaring beneath. Kurama's felt like wisdom. It was hard to explain. It felt as if I dug for centuries, I would still never discover everything his energy held. Hiei's was like a fire. In a constant state of motion, threatening to turn whatever it touched into ash.

Yukina's questioning eyes drew me from my thoughts.

"I'm sorry," I said, sheepishly. "I was a million miles away. What did you say?"

"It's quite alright," she said, giving me another gentle smile. "It's much quieter here when its just Genkai and I at the temple. I hope it's not bothering you?"

"Ah, um. No," I shook my head, taking a sip of the coffee next to me. "I like the quiet. I'm used to it." Yukina was very easy to talk to. Her presence was warm. Nurturing. It drew you in like the warm summer sun. "My brother is gone a lot with work," I shrugged. "So I'm usually alone."

"You have a brother?" she asked, tilting her head.

"Yeah," I sighed. "Though sometimes it feels like he's more like a parent with how he tries to parent me into decisions." I saw her brow draw together in confusion. "Our parents were killed five years ago in a car accident. It's just been him and I ever since."

"I'm sorry for you loss," she said, bowing her head.

"It's alright," I assured her. "It was a long time ago. David's done his best to take care of me through the years."

"I have a brother, also," she said. "A twin brother."

"Oh, really?" I asked, glancing down to stir the coffee in my cup. "What's he like?" Probably stupidly gorgeous just like her, I muttered to myself in my head.

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "I don't know who he is. I partially came to Human World to find him. The others were trying to help me find him. Kurama told me that he was dead but.." she paused. "Something tell's me he isn't."

I glanced up at her and met her smiling ruby eyes. I faltered, almost dropping my cup in my lap as I was lifting it to my mouth for another sip. I had seen those eyes before, glaring at me across the room, hardened into a cold stare. Before I could open my mouth to say anything, I felt heat on the back of my head, burning holes away. A fiery energy engulfed me, flames licking at my skin. I turned my head to see Hiei glaring with more anger than I've ever seen from him, and that was saying a lot considering he did nothing but glare in the last twenty-four hours. I could feel his warning. Keep my mouth shut, or be met with a slow agonizing death.

"Daelyn? Are you alright?" Yukina said, beginning to stand and make her way to me. "You look like your about to be sick!"

"N-no! I mean, yes! I'm alright!" I stammered, waving my hands in front of me, let out a forced laugh. "I just burned my mouth!"

"Okay," she said after a moment. I could tell she didn't believe me, but with Hiei's burning glare on me, I really didn't care. "Hello, Mr. Hiei," she greeted him as he sat at the table across from me.

"Hn," he responded. He was still glaring at me.

"W-well, speaking of brothers!" I blurted out, standing and brushing my jeans off. "I need to go call mine!"

I rushed out of the room and towards my own room. Finally away from the burning stare of Hiei I took a deep breath as I leaned against the wall. My heart was pounding, causing the scars on my chest to ache dully. I let out the breath that I had taken with a huff, rubbing the aching skin. How could one dumb demon scare me with a stupid glare?

I reached for the egg in my pocket and sat it gently on the bed. I peeled away the hoodie, tossing it carelessly to the floor. I wore it because I didn't have any shirts that covered the marred skin on my chest. I only had a few t-shirts, and those were worn to hell and littered with holes because they were what I normally wore to the studio to practice. They weren't exactly presentable to the general public. Demons and humans alike.

I laid back on the bed, careful to pick up the egg and drew my phone out of my pocket. I dialed the most recent number in my phone and held my phone to my ear as I turned the egg above me.

_Well isn't this a surprise?_ Came David's voice as he answered the phone. _Up before noon? I must say I'm impressed. I bet Keiko woke you up._

"No actually," I answered, watching the egg gleam in the sunlight. "I didn't sleep well last night. I've been up all morning." It wasn't a total lie. "I've already had breakfast and everything." He let out a low whistle in response. I rolled my eyes. "How's your conference?"

_Boring, as per usual, _he sighed. _I was at this same one last year. And the year before. And the year before that._

"Of course," I responded, laying the egg next to me and staring up at the ceiling. "Haven't you been to all of them? You are a prodigy."

* * *

><p>The dragon was restless. He stared down at the black marking on the skin of his right arm. It had suddenly appeared late last night. Since he had mastered the darkness flame so many years ago, the markings had long since disappeared, sitting invisible under his skin. He watched as it twirled around his arm, making the flesh there itch and almost burn. He wasn't accustomed to the sensation as he had been before. It was irritating.<p>

He hadn't seen the girl since this morning since he scared her into her room. The dragon calmed slightly when he wasn't around her, but for some reason it was much more irritating. It felt as if it was trying to tear itself away from him.

"Hiei." He was almost startled. He hadn't heard the fox approach him as he sat at the base of a large oak. He glanced up at the red head and went about wrapping his arm in bandages.

"What do you want, fox?" he snapped.

Kurama stood a few feet away, and stared down at him, his eyes once again calculating as he watched the fire demon wrap his arm.

"When did your dragon appear?" he asked, his voice even. Hiei knew better than to assume the fox was merely asking. He grunted in response. "Strange, isn't it?" he pondered. "This girl appears and your dragon becomes restless."

"She has nothing to do with this," Hiei snapped, standing as he tucked the end of the bandage away in the bindings.

"She asked me of Yukina," he said, dropping the subject. "She's very perceptive."

"And what did you tell her?" he growled, glowering at the fox.

"The truth," he said airily. "I asked her to not speak to Yukina of it. It should be you that does."

"I'll only ask you one more time," Hiei scoffed. "What do you want, fox?"

"I'm only making conversation, Hiei," Kurama answered, tucking his hands into his pockets. "It's been three years since any of us have since you. Even Yusuke who makes regular trips to Demon World." Hiei made no response. He knew Kurama was trying to probe him for some sort of answer of some unknown question. The fox was sniffing something out. He would not give him the satisfaction. The fox could dig all he wanted. He was not getting any answers from the fire demon. "How is Mukuro?"

Hiei scoffed. He knew that's what the fox wanted to ask. It didn't surprise him that even though the spirit fox wouldn't step foot into Demon World he would still catch wind of what happened three years ago. Though he was a few centuries old, he was still a relatively young demon. His body was urging him to take a mate. All demons went through this as they aged into their fully grown state, though many demons did not take a mate, instead focusing on growing stronger, and gaining power. But Hiei already had all of that when his body first called on him to take a mate.

Mukuro had obviously been his first choice. She easily agreed. It was a mutual gain. He would gain power to her men and kingdom. She would gain his power and guaranteed his aid should she need it. But when he tried to take her, his dragon burned him. Even though he had mastered the beast to call it on his own free will should he choose, it actually caused him physical harm. It happened every time he attempted. Even when he was able to try and mark her, it didn't take. Her body would not hold his mark. The dragon would not allow it.

He was about to snap at the fox who stood there, with an unreadable smile on his face when the girl approached.

"Um," she murmured, shifting on her feet. "Yukina wanted me to come find you two. Lunch is ready." The two turned their attention to her. She had her arms crossed over her chest. She shivered as a sharp wind came, and whipped her hair around. "..Is everything okay?" she asked, her eyes glancing between the two. She could sense the tension. He knew she could. Her empathic abilities were developing at a rapid rate.

"Yes, everything is fine," the fox said, giving her a smile. "We were just speaking of old times." Her eyes flickered to the red head, narrowing a fraction. She didn't believe him, but didn't press further.

"Well, I'm going back inside. It's too cold out here for this human," she muttered.

Kurama followed after her, flashing him a look he couldn't read. When they were a few paces away, he followed after them. He didn't want to upset Yukina by refusing to eat. Though his sister never said anything if he skipped a meal, he could see that she was disappointed when he did. He didn't like to see her upset by something he caused.

Ahead of him, the girl laughed at something the fox said. His gaze found her as she smiled and responded back. His dragon purred beneath his skin.

* * *

><p>"Where the hell is it," I muttered, digging through my bag. It was just after a very awkward lunch of being glared at by Hiei, and helping Yukina with dishes, I needed to blow off some steam. I was getting antsy without anything to do. My body was also fighting me in the fact that I hadn't slept in nearly twenty-four hours. If I sat too long, I would feel my eyelids drift shut and my mind would nod off. And since running away from my problems was one of the things I excelled at, I needed to get my body moving. "Ah-ha!" I grinned as my fingers grabbed the beaten and scratched mp3 player that David had gotten me for my birthday a few years ago.<p>

I practically pranced out of the room as I tucked the ear buds into my ears. Genkai had given me permission to use the room that she had shot her energy lights at me. She had looked at me strangely when I asked, but I paid no mind to it when I went to find my mp3 player. I was giddy with happiness as I slid the door open, letting light pour in to the dark room. This was the only room in the temple that I had come across that didn't have electricity.

I lit a few lamps around me, warding off some of the darkness. The room was a lot bigger than I had imagined. Even with six lamps lit around me, I still could not see the walls and corners of the room. Ignoring the eeriness of the room, I slipped off my hoodie and laid it next to the door, careful to tuck the egg carefully inside of it. My chest ached in protest as I stretched my arms above me to begin stretching, but I paid no mind to it. No stupid scars or aches were going to keep me from doing something I loved.

I hit play on the mp3 player, closed my eyes, and let the music take control.

* * *

><p>It was afternoon by the time I blew out the lamps and laid out on the cool patio in front of the room. The room was more of its own separate building to the temple, but still attached to the outside walls. The crisp air from the snow and the coldness of the wood beneath me soothed the warmth from my skin as I laid there, relishing in the looseness of my muscles. The scars on my chest did protest at first to my physical activity, but I was able to push through it and the pain stopped. But now as I laid there motionless they began to burn. I could feel that they were warm, the new skin unaccustomed to the movements. I let out a hiss as my fingers traced across it.<p>

"Are you alright?" a voice asked. I sat up quickly and was met with the slightly confused and amused stare of Kurama.

"Yeah," I breathed, crossing my legs. "Just cooling off."

"I see," he said with a small smile. "Yukina asked me to come and check on you because it had been a few hours since anyone had seen you."

"Oh," I blinked. "I'm sorry. I asked Genkai if I could use this room. I should have told someone I would be gone for a few hours."

"It's quite alright," he smiled again. "But if I may ask..What exactly were you doing?"

"Dancing," I answered, smiling to myself. "Blowing off some steam. It sounds stupid when I say it out loud," I admitted, scratching at my hair.

"Nonsense. You taught Keiko and Yusuke their first dance, correct?" he asked, sitting next to me on the patio.

"Yeah," I let out a breathy laugh. "It was kind of hard to convince that I wasn't going to drop Keiko when I showed her how to dip. Though Yusuke did drop me a few times." I shook my head, smiling at the memory.

"You must be very talented then."

I gave a quiet thank you and we sat there in silence for a few minutes. Kurama's presence wasn't over bearing. From what I had felt, he kept his emotions in check. I didn't know if that was because he knew I was an empath and didn't want to over bear me, or if that's just because of who he was but whatever reason it was, I was grateful. It was a little over stimulating to feel every fluctuation in the room. I knew I would have to get used to it soon. But for now, I relished in the mental stability of Kurama's moods.

"Are your scars painful?" he asked, tearing my from my thoughts.

I drew my eyebrows together in confusion. How did he know about my scars? I glanced down and felt my stomach drop. I didn't have my hoodie on. I scrambled for the piece of clothing, my face flushing brightly. I yanked it on, flinching as the fabric scraped across part of it. I carefully tucked away the egg into the pocket once again, and it gave a pleasant pulse.

"A little," I mumbled when I noticed he was watching me closely. _They just feel like they're on fire._

"I apologize. I didn't mean to embarrass you," he said smoothly as he stood. "I only ask because I could use some of my plants to make a salve for you. It should take away any pain, and take care of the inflamation."

"Your..plants?" I blinked.

He didn't answer me. Just smiled softly. He reached up into his hair, and drew out a seed. I watched in wondered amazement as the seed sitting in the palm of his hand flourished into a perfect red rose. Just as fast as it had bloomed, it shrunk away, turning back into a seed that he tucked away back into his hair.

"I don't know if I should be more amazed that you can do that, or that you can hide stuff in your hair like that. Because if I did that, it would be lost forever."

Confusion wrote across his face, drawing his brow together. Then amusement as he let out a real laugh. I hadn't actually heard him laugh like that, even last night with everyone around. With a bemused smile, he walked with me back to the main part of the temple.

* * *

><p>Lots and lots of chitter chatter this chapter. Goodness.<p>

**dewa95**: You may have! It wasn't until the end of last year that I started rewriting this because I absolutely hated it before. I just decided one day to pretty much completely re write it. I'm glad you like it!

**Aly Goode**: Thank you! I'm really trying to make it a believable relationship between the two. Yusuke's hard headed and Daelyn's a spitfire. They're definitely an odd mix!

Thank you for your reviews and follows!

Please leave a review and let me know what you think!


	11. Chapter 11

"In three words I can summon up everything I've learned in life: It goes on." -Robert Frost

Gravity

Chapter Eleven

It was quiet in the temple. Everyone had long since gone to sleep, leaving me awake and alone, which would have been fine before this chaos, but now it just made me feel unsettled. I was still trying to refuse sleep. How hard could it be? Demons don't sleep. Do they? Of course they did. All those nights that I had stayed over at Keiko's after she and Yusuke got married told me that they did. Or else Yusuke was a pretty good actor when it came to snoring that we could hear all the way in the bedroom when we made him sleep on the couch.

I sighed and pressed the base of my palms into my eyes. I was so tired. I wanted nothing more than to sleep. But I was afraid of what would happen if I did. I didn't want to face Seikatsu. Though I knew Hiei would be watching over my dreams, and that did make me feel a little better, I still didn't want to. I was beginning to trust these people. Though I knew they could kill me easily, they were becoming my friends. I didn't want Seikatsu to do something to mess everything up. I didn't want him to try and smooth me over again, trying to get me to trust him. I was on shaky ground with everyone. I wasn't sure if my trust in them was going to hold.

I stood from the bed. I needed a glass of water. Something to preoccupy my mind for a moment. Something to snap me awake for a while longer before I found something else to do the trick. I quietly made my way to the hall, closing my door behind me as quietly as possible. The hallway was dark and silent. I made my way to the kitchen, almost sliding my feet across the floor in my socks trying to not disturb anyone. I didn't know where anyone else rooms were, but I knew that demon ears were a lot more sensitive than human ears. I just didn't know how sensitive.

Flicking the kitchen light on, I let out a breath that I hadn't realized I had been holding. I smiled in satisfaction after I listened for a moment to hear if I had disturbed anyone and didn't hear anyone stirring. I trotted over to the cabinet and reached for a glass. As I turned, my eyes fell on a figure standing in the door way. I jumped, the glass slipping from my hands and a scream started to form.

But it never came. I froze in shock staring up at Hiei's ruby colored eyes as he narrowed his gaze down at me. I tried to open my mouth to speak, but realized his hand was pressed firmly against it. I felt the cabinet behind me pinching into my lower back. I hadn't realized how tall he was before. He stood over a head taller than me. His frame engulfed mine. I shivered as the heat from his body surrounded me. The smell of burning wood and fire assaulted my senses as I held his gaze.

My heart was pounding in my chest. His eyes darkened. I watched as black flames flickered across the dark ruby in his eyes. I forgot how to breathe as his gaze flickered across my face, darkening even further. His eyes snapped back up to mine when I let out a whimper. The cabinet was getting painful from the force he had pushing me into the table. I saw a strange look on his face as he clenched his jaw. I felt a new sensation wash over me that I was pretty much unfamiliar with. It caused something in my lower abdomen to clench uncomfortably, but burned at my insides. I felt my knees quiver as the warmth spread lower. The sound that tried to leave me but was muffled by his hand was another whimper. But it was from something other than pain.

Then suddenly, he was a few paces away. My lung fought for air as I shivered at the lack of his warmth.

"What is on your chest?" he asked, his voice low.

"W-what?" I stammered. I glanced down. A dried green paste was spread over my four scars. One long line, disappearing in between my breasts and into my shirt and three spots around it. "O-oh. Um. Kurama made it for me. T-to help..um. To help my scars." _Quit stuttering! _I screamed at myself.

He didn't say anything for a long moment. "Go to sleep," he said finally. When I blinked, he was gone.

No longer thirsty, I put the cup that Hiei had saved from being shattered on the ground back in the cabinet and rushed back to my room. Safely back in my room, I hung my head in my hands. What the hell just happened? I had to teach myself to breathe again. _Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale._ I told myself sternly. Why had he snuck up on me like that? And why was he looking at me the way he was? Did I make him angry somehow?

I flicked off the light in my room and laid down on my bed. I pulled the blankets over me and tucked them over my head. Suddenly, I was more willing to deal with Seikatsu than I was Hiei.

* * *

><p>He glared down at the dragon on his arm. Now in his room that had been provided for him in the temple that he rarely used, the dragon was even more restless than before. He had been awake when he heard the girl leave her room and had gone to see what she was doing so late at night. It was her own fault that she didn't feel him approaching.<p>

He reacted before he could think, catching the cup and clamping his hand over her mouth to keep her from screaming. He didn't want her to wake the others in the temple, especially that damned fox and his twenty questions. But when he had sat the cup down behind her, he locked eyes with hers. He had felt his dragon stir, and before he could push it back and pull away from the girl, he felt her lips quiver against his hand, and her body shiver, pressing further into his own. Then his dragon roared in his head. He almost couldn't fight the urge that had almost taken over him, especially when she stared up at him with the innocent fear that made him-

No, he wouldn't think about it. He refused. This was ridiculous. It was simply his body going through it's damn changes. Changes that he had tried to sate on multiple occasions, but his own body refused him. He let out a growl as the dragon turned under his skin. Then he felt her energy lower and smooth out. She was a sleep.

_Dammit, _he cursed to himself. He yanked the cloth off covering his Jagan and focused his mind on the last person he wanted to. Her.

* * *

><p>I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was actually dreaming. No sunflowers or oceans. Just memories. They flashed across my eyes flooding my senses with sounds and smells.<p>

The first memory was of my mom cooking breakfast one morning before school. I had to have been no older than seven or eight. I watched as my younger self crawled out of bed in kitty pajamas. I skipped down the hall, smelling pancakes, something that we didn't get very often. Mom always tried to make us the traditional Japanese food instead of American food. Especially with me being so young. She didn't want me to hate the food that all the other kids at school ate. I already had a hard enough time in school just being a foreigner and looking different.

David stepped out of his room. He had to have been thirteen or fourteen at the time. He was dressed in a mauve school uniform. He grabbed me as I tired to rush by, drawing an elated squeal from my younger self. He laughed, and carried me into the kitchen as I tried my hardest to pound my small fists into his back, laughing loudly.

Mom turned to us, and I paid no mind to what she said. Only the sound of her voice. Warm and nurturing. She was beautiful. A few inches taller than I was, and blonde curls cut to her shoulders that she tamed into waves that framed her squarish face. Her bright hazel eyes were filled with mirth as she watched us. I could feel her now. Even in my dream, I could feel the love that poured from her like a waterfall. She loved us. She loved us so much. I felt my chest clench painfully as she ushered David away from me and insisted that a growing girl needed breakfast to grow big and strong. I chuckled at that. Yeah. Big and strong.

That memory melted into a new one. My younger self was sitting on the couch, clutching a stuffed cat to me. I had a thing with cats growing up. I loved them. Well, still do. But my younger self wanted nothing to do with anything unless it involved a cat. I was watching the TV screen with wide eyes. I looked up as a large figure appeared in the doorway. I felt my chest give another clench as my dad entered the room with a bowl of popcorn and a grin. He loved "corrupting my mind" with horror movies so my mom once put it. David was a spitting image of him. Tall, large but almost lanky. The deepest of black hair that shone even in darkness. Stone colored blue eyes that were always smiling. I could remember this memory vividly. David was in science club when he was in middle school. They had a competition a few hours away and my mom had volunteered as a chaperone. She was always doing that. Coming on field trips, and always showing up to any school function no matter how unimportant it was. So that left my dad and I alone for the night. That meant horror movies.

My younger self curled into his side, seeking his protection. And I could feel every bit of it. Feeling like nothing could hurt me because Dad was there. He would fight away any monster that sat in the shadows of my room or hid under my bed. It felt like he could protect me from Seikatsu, and any other demon. Because, guess what? Surprise Dad! All the stuff you showed me in horror movies are real. But it was okay. I wasn't scared. Daddy was here. He was here and I was safe. That's all that mattered.

That memory melded into another. I stood in my junior high uniform as my mom fretted over my hair. It was my first day at the school, and she was trying her best to make me look presentable for first impressions with my teachers. My hair wasn't quite as long as it is now, falling only to my mid back, but it was just as curly. I watched as my mom smiled brightly at me as she ran her fingers through my curls, pulling it to one side of my head over my shoulder. She braided it with quick precision, and secured it with a hair tie. She watched my face in the mirror as she placed the curls that sprang free from the braid gently across my head so they didn't frizz. I returned her bright smile. That was the first time I remembered actually feeling pretty with my curls. I had always wanted the pin straight hair the other girls seemed to have. But that was the first time I remember actually seeing what she saw when she would tell me my curls were beautiful and to embrace them.

I watched as more memories flooded me in my dreams. Happy memories. I didn't re watch the night that the police officer had knocked on our door, or having to call David, who had been at a party that night. How I could smell the alcohol on his clothes when he came to the hospital. I didn't have to watch when the doctor came out and told us that there was nothing they could do. Our parents were gone. We were alone. I didn't have to re-live that night that I curled up to David's side and we cried together. My big brother did his best to soothe me and my pain. But he was hurting to. We cried until the sun came up. And we slept all day.

No, the memories I watched were happy ones. Filled with love and joy. Laughter filled my ears as I watched David and I's antics growing up. Though we had a near seven year age difference, he wasn't like the normal brothers that thought his kid sister was just annoying. He spent time with me, and played with me. Before the accident, when he was just a normal teenaged boy growing into a college student. Even when he was a college student, he made sure to see me on weekends, knowing I would get lonely without any friends. Before the stress and sadness were shackles that held his happiness away from him. I could see now the way the last five years had changed him. Even though I knew it was David I was watching, it was like a whole other man. He didn't hold his shoulders squarely anymore. He was too run down and haggard. Worry marred his face now with lines of stress and sleeplessness.

I watched my parents love grow between them as they watched us get older. I felt their love for us with every hug and kiss on the tops of our heads. I watched my mom brush tears from her eyes as I tottered off on my way to my first day of school. I watched admiration dance across my dad's face as I rode my bike for the first time without training wheels. I listened to my mom try and teach me how to cook when I was twelve and watched my dad and David choke it down and smile like it was delicious. Though the burnt mess told me otherwise. The hot summers spent with melting ice cream cones. The cold winters with steaming hot chocolates with marshmallows. The bruises and scrapes that were fixed with a cat band-aid and a kiss.

And the next thing I knew I was staring at the ceiling of the temple, light beginning to flicker into the room with dawn. I reached up and felt the dampness of my face and tasted the saltiness of my tears. And with the first song of the birds waking for another day, I rolled over and pressed my face into the pillow so no one heard the tears that fell.

* * *

><p>It was the afternoon by the time I left my room. I heard the others come back and forth from my room. But I couldn't face them yet. Yukina would knock softly, and I pretended to sleep. Kurama did the same. I'm sure both of them knew I wasn't actually sleeping, but neither bothered me and I was thankful for that. I just needed to be alone and build my walls back around my heart that ached with every breath.<p>

Though my body felt better with my sleep, my mind was twice as exhausted as before. So I had no response to Hiei when I ran directly into his chest walking down the hall.

He startled me, almost causing me to lose my balance, but he quickly caught me by the shoulders, keeping me from toppling to the ground. He stared down at me, his ruby eyes hard. But he wasn't glaring. I mumbled a thanks to him for keeping me from bruising my butt on the wooden floor. I started to pull away from him, but he held tight. I met his eyes full on. There was a strange expression in his eyes, but it was different from the night before. I stared at him until he released me, and with a forced smile I continued to walk passed him.

I entered the dinning room and Yukina greeted me with a bright and warm smile. I tried my best to return her smile. I wasn't sure if I succeeded, but if I failed she was kind enough to not say anything. I helped her with dinner.

Genkai, Kurama and Yukina filled the meal with conversation. I stayed quiet for the most part, only answering when directly spoken to. They didn't press me. I knew that they knew I was dealing with something. I wasn't stupid. I didn't miss the concerned looks from Yukina, the way Genkai watched me through the corner of her eyes, or how Kurama was sending soothing emotions my way. I was just too exhausted to care.

I made my way back to my room after Yukina kindly declined my help with dishes, saying that Kurama would help. I didn't argue with her. I needed to talk to David.

_What's wrong?_ He asked when I gave a less than enthusiastic response to whatever witty comment he had for me when he answered his phone.

"I dreamt of Mom and Dad," was all I had to say, drawing a tired sigh from my brother. We sat in silence on the phone as I listened to him breathe on the other end of the line. He knew there was nothing he could say. If I had dreamt of the accident, I would have said the accident. He knew of these dreams well. He had them himself. He knew that for some reason, the happy dreams were the worst. I closed my eyes, feeling the tears burn away at the corners. I didn't want to cry anymore.

I don't know how long we were on the phone sitting in silence before he spoke again.

_Just try and get some sleep, okay? I'll hope for you to have a dreamless sleep._

With our good-byes, I hung up, rolled over, and fell asleep.

* * *

><p>I was in the field of sunflowers. Before I could even take in the scene around me, a pair of lilac eyes greeted me.<p>

"Hello, Daelyn," he smiled.

* * *

><p>Sexual tension and heart wrenching sorrow all in one chapter? I call this a success.<p>

And don't worry! This isn't going to be one of those stories that they fall helplessly in love and all mushy gushy in just like. Two chapters. I'm a cruel author and like to draw things out. I do quite enjoy putting characters though torment. It's kind of a problem.

Anyways, I wasn't going to update this for a few more days, buuut, I do quite enjoy this chapter. After all the chit chat last chapter, I wanted this one to have close to none.

**Aly Goode**: Yes, I also understand the pain of the beast called curly hair haha. But, why would you want it any other way, you know? And maybe our little Dae-Dae will;) It's going to be a fun ride to find out if she can.

Thank you for all the follows!

And almost fifty follows and reviews?! Almost forty favorites?! That makes me very happy!

Please leave a review or PM me and let me know what you think! I've gone on a writing escapade and I'm already working on chapter thirteen. I'm a very response driven author and enjoy hearing from my readers. Response's make me happy and make me want to update quicker for you all. I also enjoy talking to you all! So please don't be shy!


	12. Chapter 12

"There are times when fear is good. It must keep it's watchful place at the heart's controls" -Aeschylus

Gravity

Chapter Twelve

He stood there, his cloak billowing around him in the wind that whipped around us. His stance was tall and regal, squaring his shoulders back and his head held high as he smiled down at me. Dread was the only thing I felt as he watched me closely. It was almost like a predator watching it's prey before it lashed out for the kill. With his step forward, I took a step back.

"Don't tell me," he mused, the corners of his mouth tilting in humor. "They've taught you to fear me."

"No," I said. The wind was whipping around us wildly. I could feel it's warning of the man in front of me. "They gave me reasons to not fear them."

"Now, now," he purred, clicking his tongue to his teeth. His lips spread into a full grin. "Have I not? I gave you life."

"I wasn't supposed to die that day," I countered, taking another step back as he tried to continue his approach.

He hummed, crossing his arms in front of him. He closed his eyes, and I could tell his mind was working on an answer for me. I took the chance to glance around me. Along with the wind, the sun wasn't shining. Dark foreboding clouds loomed above us. A rumble rolled across the field bringing along the smell of rain.

"How did you enjoy your dreams last night?" he asked. My eyes snapped back to him. "Such happy memories. You were very lucky to have such loving parents. I just couldn't bring myself to disturb such happy dreams."

"What do you want from me?" I snapped at him. "Why did you do this to me?"

Before I could blink, he was standing in front of me. He wrapped his arm around my waist before I could back pedal away from him. He snatched my chin with his other hand as I tried to push him away from me. He held me tightly as he peered down at me, his once warm eyes cold and cruel.

"It's simple really," he smiled. "You have no idea of the power that you held. It was just waiting to be released. All of your mundane human life it was sitting. Waiting. Growing. It's quite remarkable, really." He pinched my jaw tighter as I tried to pull my face away from him. "All I did was give your body the push it needed. You becoming a demon, well," he chuckled. "That was for my own benefit. I can't rule a kingdom with a human queen at my side."

"Bastard!" I spat at him, struggling even more to get away.

"Don't fight me, my dear," he purred. "You will not win. My kingdom needs it's queen. My subjects are eager to meet you. I've told them many things about you. How beautiful you are, how kind you are. How different you are from the others you call your friends and family."

"Let her go."

Seikatsu let out a bored sigh as he turned his head to the new voice. I managed to push myself away from the demon in front of me, stumbling back and barely managing to keep my balance as I glared at him. Hiei's expression was dark as he glared at Seikatsu. The clouds above us let out another rumble, the clouds churning in their rage. Hiei took a step forward towards the other demon. Seikatsu smirked, turning to face him in challenge. When he did, I felt amusement roll off of him. He smiled at Hiei, and glanced over to me.

"Well, I didn't foresee this happening," he mused as his eyes slid back to Hiei. "The great Dragon of the Darkness Flame has met it's weakness." He chuckled. He turned back to me. He appeared in front of me. "I'll see you again soon, Daelyn. Try to not to let the dragon sink it's teeth into you," he murmured tracing his finger down my face. Then he was gone.

In his disappearance the storm clouds faded away, leaving only blue skies. The wind almost came to a complete stop, leaving only a gentle breeze. I breathed a sigh in relief. I turned to Hiei who was still glaring at the spot that Seikatsu had stood.

"Hiei?" I called out to him softly. His gaze snapped up to me, glaring only for a moment longer before his face relaxed into a hardened stare.

"Sleep," he told me. "He's not coming back."

And he was gone. I closed my eyes, feeling the warmth of the sun shine down one me. Even though I couldn't see him, I could feel I wasn't alone.

* * *

><p>The shrill of my phone rose me from sleep. I reached out from under the blankets blindly, knocking it to the floor. I cursed under my breath and dragged my upper body over the side of the bed and answered it with a huff.<p>

_Where are you? _David asked.

"What?" I asked, rubbing at my eyes.

_Well, after last night I talked to my supervisor. He let me come home early. There was no need for me to be at the conference. I drove in this morning. Are you at Keiko's?_

Fuck. I cursed to my self, sitting up and yanking a hand through my hair. Fuck, fuck, fuck, _fuck_.

"No," I answered when I heard him ask if I was there. "No, I'm not at Keiko's. I'll be home later." I hung up on him before he could say anything. I threw my blankets off and rushed to my feet. My legs were tied up in the sheets, sending me to the floor. "_Son of a bitch_!" I cursed loudly, kicking the sheets away and standing. I rushed out of the room in search of one of the others. I ran into Hiei in the hallway. "Davidishome," I breathed, "Ineedtogohome."

"Use your words correctly, woman," he said, pursing his lips.

I rubbed my hands on my face in frustration. "David is home. I need to go home. He just called me. He came home early."

"Daelyn? Why were you yelling?" Kurama asked, appearing from the doorway of another room. Hiei growled and crossed his arms.

"David just called me. He came home early. I need to go home," I explained. "Oh my god, it's going to take all day to get home and I just hung up on him," I muttered to myself and scratched at my hair. "Forget Seikatsu. David's going to kill me," I hung my head with a sigh.

"Go pack your things," Hiei stated. I nodded and rushed back to my room as he turned to Kurama.

I didn't bother folding my clothes as I shoved everything back into my bag. I tucked the jar of salve that Kurama had given me safely inside, using the clothes to cushion it. David was going to kill me. I should have just told him I was at Keiko's. But then he would have driven over to their home and gotten even more angry when he found out I wasn't there. How was I going to explain this to him? _Oh god,_ I froze in terror. How was I going to explain _Hiei?! _David was never going to let me see the light of day again. Nope, I was going to get locked away in some padded room, screaming about demons and Spirit World. He was going to be convinced that I had snapped. He was going to drug me up on anti-psychotics and lock me away. I was going to bring shame to him in the medical world. He was going to think I was insane. He was never going to look at me the same way again. Oh, hey bro, you remember how I died? Well, guess what? I'm turning into a demon! Yeah! Demons are real! Here's one right here, yeah, I know he's kinda scary looking, but some demons are okay. Others just want to _eat your fucking soul_.

"Daelyn?" a soft voice came behind me. I snapped my head up and spun around. Yukina pursed her lips to hide her giggle. I must have been talking to myself. And my door had been wide open. "Don't worry," she said, smiling. "I think he will listen."

"Maybe," I grumbled, turning back to my bag. I zipped it shut and pulled on my hoodie over my tank top. It was long enough to reach my mid thigh, so I didn't bother changing from my leggings. I tucked the egg that had been sitting on the night stand into my pocket and sighed. "I shouldn't have called him yesterday."

"He's your brother," she smiled. "If I knew my brother I would want him to come to me if he was hurting."

I turned to face her, sliding my bag on my shoulder. Hiei stood behind her. He stared down at her with an odd expression on his face. He almost looked...guilty. She looked up at him with a smile and moved over in the door way to let him in. The expression he had before was gone as he crossed the room and yanked my bag off of my shoulder.

"Let's go," he grunted.

"Come back soon," Yukina said softly with her kind smile.

I gave her a quick hug, surprising her for a moment before she returned it. "I will," I said, drawing away from her with a smile. "If David doesn't lock me away to never see the light of day again."

She let out a tinkle of laughter and followed us down the hallway. Hiei had my bag tossed over his shoulder with one of his hands gripping the straps. I bid Genkai a quick farewell, promising to come back and visit soon. I gave her thanks for letting me stay in her home and she nodded with a small smirk.

At the top of the stairs Hiei handed Kurama my bag, who was also packed to leave the temple. He lifted the bags with ease, sliding them across his bag. Before I could question it, I felt arms knocking my knees out from under me, and being lifted and pulled to the chest of Hiei. I let out a startled noise and before I could push myself away from him the air was whipping around us, stealing my breath away.

After a few minutes of my senses being over run by colors and wind we stopped. He slid me down, setting me on my feet. My legs gave out, not used to the sensation of gravity. He caught me again as I stumbled forward into him.

"T-thanks," I muttered, finally finding my balance.

"Hn," he grunted, stepping away from me. Kurama appeared next to us.

"There's a train leaving in ten minutes," he said. "We should have you home by the afternoon."

I nodded with a sigh. Though I was looking forward to going home, I wasn't looking forward to facing David. An angry David was a scary David. And no one liked a scary David. We walked the rest of the distance to the train, and I absorbed myself into my own thoughts. Through the years I could only count on one hand how many times David had honestly been angry at me. I didn't like to be on the receiving end of his anger. He almost turned into another person. I could remember on my first day of highschool before I became friends with Keiko some of the other girls made it their goal to humiliate me because I was American. I ignored them as best as I could. Between their racial slurs and bumping me in the hallway, sending me to the tiled floor along with my books, I was fed up. I hit my final straw when I was in art class, sitting next to Keiko and one of the girls were sitting behind me. The girl put glue in my hair, all the way up to my scalp. I stood in the middle of the teacher talking about color theory and threw paint on her uniform. In her shock of me retaliating, I grabbed her by the back of her head and yanked her to the floor and threw glitter on the wet paint, coating her in yellow paint and green glitter.

I was the only one sent to the office, where I sat for the rest of the day fighting back tears and trying to pick the glue out of my hair so I didn't have to cut it out. When they finally got in touch with David, he came storming into the school, still in his scrubs from his shift at the hospital. He marched up to me, ready to scold me into humiliation until he saw I was the only one in the office. Instead, he kneeled in front of me and asked me what happened. I explained as best as I could through my tears, watching his face twist in anger. He stood, patting me on the head and marching into the principals office. He was in there for a long time.

To this day I have no idea what he said to the principal. But when they both emerged from the office, David's face was red with anger and the principal's pretty face was tight, her eyes wide as she smoothed out her suit jacket. She stumbled over her words as she assured David it wouldn't happen again. He ignored her words as he picked my backpack up from next to me and grabbed my hand, leading me out of the school. I never saw the group of girls again.

Needless to say, David was scary when he was angry.

I boarded the train behind Kurama. I felt warmth behind me as Hiei followed us on. I looked back at him in confusion, but he ignored my silent questioning. As we sat in our seats, he sat across from me while I sat next to Kurama by the window. I glanced out the said window and saw the pale grey clouds looming above us, a small dusting of fresh snow beginning to fall.

"I'm sorry I cut your visit short," I said quietly, while fiddling with the egg in my pocket.

"It's quite alright," Kurama said gently, crossing his legs and sitting back in his seat as the train lurched forward. "It's time I get back to work anyway. I've used most of my vacation days," he smiled.

The train ride passed with quiet conversation from Kurama and Hiei staring out the train window. I could see he was tense sitting in the train. His jaw would clench every time a group of people who joined the train after we did would get too loud, laughing and talking loudly over each other. I started to feel bad for him. I could feel that he was uncomfortable around so many people, though I was sure he would never admit that out loud.

I watched him through the corner of my eye, taking in his appearance fully for the first time. He was broad, but not as broad as Kuwabara, his body still lean with his build. I could see his toned muscles through his plain black shirt. Even though it was cold and snowing outside, he didn't wear a jacket, opting only for the long sleeves of his shirt. His face was smooth, his skin not quite pale but at the same time, it wasn't exactly tan. I noticed for the first time that his right hand was wrapped in bandages that disappeared into the sleeve of his shirt. Had he gotten hurt recently? I hadn't noticed if he did.

Turning my attention back to his face, I was able to fully appreciate the color of his eyes. They were the color of the rubies that my mom's wedding ring was decorated with, though they were cold as he stared out into the falling snow.

He was honestly very attractive.

His eyes snapped over to me, narrowing as he stared back at me, almost as if he heard my thoughts. I blushed, feeling my ears grow warm as I turned my attention back to Kurama and mumbled something about needed to use the bathroom. I stumbled passed him, almost tripping and rushing to the back of the cart where the bathroom was.

Locking the door behind me, I let out a sigh and rubbed my face. He couldn't read my mind. Could he? I froze suddenly, as realization came over me. He could enter my dreams. He could talk to me in my dreams. He was being forced to follow me around _because_ he could see into my dreams. Yusuke even said that if there was trouble, he could tell them, no matter how far the distance. _Of course he's telepathic!_ I groaned and hung my head. And of course he just _had _to be in my head while I was thinking about how attractive he was.

"Good job, stupid," I muttered to myself, while turning the faucet on to rinse my face. "Good job."

* * *

><p>I stared up at the house with dread building in the pit of my stomach. The normally welcoming, white and blue home, just stood in foreboding. I wanted nothing more than to just sit in Kurama's car with the heater. The snow had yet to fall in the city, but the clouds were still the same pale gray as before, so Hiei opted for his normal way of traveling. Over the roofs of buildings. Kurama had told me that it wouldn't be wise for both he and Hiei to come into the house with David on edge. I knew he was right. But dammit, I still didn't want to go inside with just Hiei with me.<p>

"It's going to be okay," Kurama assured me for the fifth time. "Hiei will be there."

"That isn't exactly comforting," I muttered. He chuckled at my response as I unbuckled my seat belt with a sigh.

"You understand that you don't have to tell him," he said as I ran my fingers through my hair.

"Trust me, it's better if I tell him," I said. "If he found out on his own, which trust me, he would, he would skin me alive. Demon or not." I bid the red head a farewell as I closed the car door. I trekked up the yard, my feet getting heavier and heavier the closer I got. I felt Hiei's presence appear behind me, but I refused to turn and look at him, still embarrassed by my thoughts earlier.

Kurama had told me on the car ride from the train station to my house that Hiei could use his Jagan to wipe David's memory if things should get...bad. I silently prayed that it wouldn't. I didn't want Hiei in my brothers brain, messing with his memory. That didn't sound pleasant.

Digging for my keys, I muttered a few curses under my breath, the dread almost swallowing me whole. After finding the keys, I unlocked the door and pushed it open.

"David?" I called out, Hiei closing the door behind us. "I'm home."

* * *

><p>Dun dun dunnn.<p>

I was going to wait until later today (considering it's almost 2 in the morning where I'm at right now) to post this, buuuut, I've kind of had a crappy day, and I can't sleep. So I figured, meh, why not? Everyone's feed back really boosted me up today, so I wanted to give you all thanks for that.

The chapter coming in the next few days is definitely something I'm not used to writing. We need a little happiness thrown in here, so let's just say I've been laughing the entire time I've been writing chapter thirteen. My husband is starting to think I've lost my mind.

Also! How does everyone feel about the length of the chapters? They've been sitting pretty much right at about 3,500 words, give or take a little. I definitely don't want to make them any shorter, but I've considered lengthening them. If I do it _may _cause the updates to be a few more days apart. Does everyone like this length? Or do you want them longer? I'm leaving it up to my readers!

**XBloodMageRikaX**: Thank you! I'm trying to make it as believable as possible. Character development hasn't always been my strong suit through the years, so I'm glad to hear that you like it!

**Heve-chan**: Thank you for taking your time to read! And don't worry, everything has been updated and rewritten. I just haven't gotten around to fixing the warning in the first chapter. Thank you for reminding me haha.

**Hakusoushi-9**: Yes, everything has been rewritten thankfully haha. It was too painful for me to look at before because I hadn't really developed any writing skills and I was just...winging it. I'm glad you like it!

**pourquoibella**: I'm glad you find it interesting! Thank you for sending me good luck, I always need it when I'm laying my head on the table next to my laptop silently screaming in my head because I don't know what to write aha. (Which may or may not have happened with this chapter. We won't talk about that.)

**Aly Goode**: I love how easy it is for me to write Daelyn and David together. They pretty much write themselves before it's even in my own head. And yes. I love sexual tension. Especially when neither party wants to accept it. Even more so when someone else see's it, but they still refuse to accept it. (We're looking at you, Kurama.)

Thank you for your follows, favorites and reviews! I wasn't expecting so much feedback! I started this story when I was 18 years old, with just an idea that wouldn't get out of my head. I didn't really know if anyone would honestly like it. I didn't have a clear idea in my head of where I wanted this story to go, but now that I do, I'm ready to finish it! Please PM me, or leave a review and let me know what you think! Especially so I know how long to make this next chapter haha.


	13. Chapter 13

"When trouble comes, it's family that supports you." -Guy Lafleur

Gravity

Chapter Thirteen

David's face was hard as he emerged from the kitchen. He started to say something, but when his eyes landed on the demon behind me, I could feel the uncertainty cross over him as he turned his hardened gaze back to me. I swallowed a lump in my throat. Oh, god. How was I going to do this?

"How was your conference?" I asked, kicking my shoes off and trying to avoid his eyes.

"_Fine_," he stated in English, crossing his arms. "_Who's this_?"

"Hiei," I said, stepping fully into the living room. If he was speaking to me in English that meant he was angry. Very angry. He didn't want to have to wait for Hiei to leave to berate me. "_He's...a friend_. _Kind of_." I heard him scoff behind me. I gave him a quick glare, noting the slight confusion coming off of him and turned my attention back to David. Hiei couldn't understand us. The egg in my hoodie pocket gave a soothing pulse against my stomach.

David gave a quiet hum and leaned on the doorway. "_And I take it you've been with this 'kind of' friend for the last few days?"_

"Keiko _told you didn't she?" _I asked, slumping my shoulders. He didn't need to reply by the look on his face. He could get the truth out from anyone. It was like his super power. He always knew just the right questions to ask to get the truth spilling out from you. _"Yes. Kind of."_

"_Say 'kind of' one more time," _he said, one of his eyebrows rasing as he pursed his lips. _"Where were you?"_

"_Do you remember _Genkai _from _Yusuke _and _Keiko's _wedding?" _I asked, trying to fight away the urge to tell him I was an adult and didn't have to tell him where I was all the time like some child. That wouldn't get us anywhere. _"I was at her temple."_

"_Why?"_

"_Can we uh..Can we sit down? It's a long story. And you may not believe me." _He made no movement, just continued to stare at me with a raised eyebrow. I huffed and sat on the couch, fiddling my fingers in my lap. The egg in my pocket gave out a comforting warmth. Hiei stood next to the doorway, his own arms crossed as he watched the two of us expressionless. I sat in silence for a moment, trying to gather my thoughts.

"_Daelyn," _David said, drawing my attention back to him. _"If he's your boyfriend you can just tell me. Your grown enough to be in a relationship and not have to be afraid to tell me."_

I stared at him for a moment, translating what he said in my head to Japanese, then to English, then back to Japanese, then over to English again. I looked at him, then over to Hiei who's stare had hardened into a glare at David, who I realized must have been attempting to reading his mind, but could still not understand what we were saying. I looked back to David, my face flushing with heat. _"N-no!" _I exclaimed. _"B-boyfriend?! He's not- We're not- Oh my god," _I hid my hands in my face, trying to push away the heat in my face. _"What did _Keiko _tell you?! Holy shit, I'm going to kill her!"_

"_She told me that you weren't with her, but you were with someone. She said 'she's safe with him'. I put two and two together," _he said, shifting his weight on his feet.

"_We're not together!" _I almost shouted, wanting to curl up into a ball and die in my embarrassment. _"Your math skills are wrong!"_

"_Then is it the man who just dropped you off?"_

"_Kurama?!" _I felt like my head was going to explode with all the blood rushing to it. _"No! He's a friend!"_

"_Not a 'kind of' friend?" _he asked, simply blinking at my reaction. _"Daelyn, it's nothing to be embarrassed about."_

"Just stop!" I whined, switching to Japanese. "It's not what you think it is! Would you just sit down and let me talk?!" David let out a sigh, and pushed away from the wall. He moved to sit in a chair across from me. "And please speak Japanese before he gets any more frustrated," I grumbled, glancing over to Hiei. "You can yell at me all you want later in English." David watched me closely for a second, crossing his arms and giving a stiff nod. Shakily, I yanked my fingers through my hair, trying to push back my embarrassment.

"So..you remember how I died?"I asked after a moment. Here goes nothing. "Well. Someone brought me back to life. And, he did something to me," I paused, clenching my teeth. "Now my body is going through some changes_. _In the next few weeks I'm not..going to be so human anymore."

"What?" he asked dead-panned.

"His name is Seikatsu. He's a demon. Hiei is also a demon, same with Kurama, the one who dropped me off. Yusuke is a demon, also. Seikatsu is..I'm starting to think that he is the one who killed me to begin with. Koenma, the ruler of Spirit World, told me I wasn't supposed to die that day. I wasn't supposed to die for a very long time. When I died, Seikatsu put demonic energy in my body to help me heal, because my body wouldn't have been able to survive with simply Spirit and Life energy, or so he's told me. But I'm starting to think he's lying about that, too." I wrung my hands together. "I'm also developing psychic abilities. My empathy is already prominent, but I've been able to speak to Yusuke telepathically. I'm also going to develop telekinesis. I haven't tried using it yet, so I don't know how true that is." I looked up at David, who stared back at me blankly.

"I'm calling Dr. Tamura," he said after a silent moment. "You've gone delusional." He stood to make his way to his phone, that was sitting on the dining room table.

"No!" I exclaimed, jumping from my seat. "David, please! Just listen to me!"

"I'm not going to listen to anymore of this," he stated. I grabbed his arm, trying to pull him back. "Daelyn, it's okay. It's normal for your mind to try and deal with trauma by coming up with a way to process it. But we need to get you help."

"My brain is not trying to process the trauma!" I begged. "Please, don't call him. Just listen to me! I wouldn't lie to you!" I heard movement behind me and looked over at Hiei. He had removed the white cloth from his forehead. A violet colored eye stared back at us, glowing with power. "No! Hiei, stop!" I rushed over to him. I tried to push him back, my hands on his chest. I could feel him growl as he tried to push me aside. "I'll make him listen," I begged, looking up to him. I could feel tears in my eyes. "Please don't make him forget!"

"I'll make him listen," he growled. "Move."

"No! I don't believe you!" I could hear David somewhere behind me, drop his phone. I whipped my head around to see him standing there. He was looking at us, but his eyes were glazed over, staring far away. "Stop!" I begged, pushing against Hiei. I could feel the warmth of his skin through his shirt as I tried to push him away. He grabbed my wrists and held them away from him as I tried to fight him off. I tried kicking at him, but he held be back, his attention fully on David as his third eye started to glow even brighter. "Stop," I pleaded weakly. "Please."

He looked down at me, his Jagan ceasing to glow. He let go of my hands and I rushed over to David who was leaning against the wall rubbing at his forehead. I could see the fogginess in his eyes starting to clear as he blinked to clear his vision. He stared at me, bracing his hands on my shoulders. I could hear the distant voice of Dr. Tamura on the phone. David leaned down to grab the phone off the floor and with shaking hands hit "end call". He slid the phone in his pocket, looking over at Hiei then back to me.

"So," he said after a moment. "Demons, huh?"

I smiled weakly at him. "Yeah," I said quietly. "I know, right?" I looked over to Hiei, but where he stood was empty.

* * *

><p>"So..he not your boyfriend?" David asked, walking into the room with blankets over his arms.<p>

"No!" I blushed. "Stop asking!"

"I just want to make sure," he said, "I'm not home a lot and if he's going to be staying here.." he trailed off, placing the folded blankets at the end of the bed.

"No!" I shouted, pushing him, the seemingly ever lasting blush from the last day appearing on my face once again. "We are not talking about this right now!"

"Daelyn," he mused with a smile. "Sex isn't something to be embarrassed about. It's natural. I just want to make sure that you make smart decisions should you decide to-"

"Stop!" I exclaimed again. I threw the pillow in my hands at him and hit him in the face. "I don't need to hear this from my older brother!"

"Well then who else are you going to talk to about it?" he asked, throwing the pillow back at me and hitting me in the back of the head as I turned around to finish making the bed.

I snatched the pillow up and crossed the room, hitting him repeatedly with the cotton filled weapon. "Keiko or something! Now drop the subject!" He snatched the pillow out of my hands and in an instant I was over his shoulder, pounding my fists on his back. "Put me down!" I whined, trying to struggle free. What was with people picking me up today?!

"Not until you stop attacking me," he stated, clutching my legs under his arm so I couldn't kick at him.

"I'll stop attacking you when you stop trying to talk to me about..all that stuff!"

He slid me off of his shoulder and sat me on my feet. I glared up at him as he patted me on the head.

"In all seriousness," he said as I pouted, crossed my arms, and turned my head away. "If you happen to come across a boy, human or demon or whatever else is out there, and you think your ready for that, would you talk to me first? Please?"

"Fine," I grumbled. "Now, please stop talking about it."

"Promise?" he asked, sticking his pinky finger out to me. I stared up at him exasperated. He arched an eyebrow at me. I sighed in defeat and laced my own pinky through his. "Good," he said, smiling triumphantly. He strutted out of the room as I glared after him. Where the hell had all of that come from?

I sighed, picking the pillow off the floor and brushing it off. We were cleaning the spare bedroom for Hiei to stay in. It wasn't necessarily dirty, but the sheets and blankets hadn't been changed in a while and we had used it for storage. I wasn't exactly sure if Hiei would use the room, but I knew just like the rest of us, he didn't like being out in the snow. I could hear from the howling winds outside and the darkening clouds that it was going to snow soon. I could feel his energy outside somewhere, but I wasn't able to pin point it exactly. I really needed to learn how to do that. I needed to learn how to do a lot of things. I wanted to be able to protect myself if I needed to. What good is having supernatural powers if you couldn't use them?

I almost considered asking one of the boys. But, Yusuke was out of the question because if teaching him a simple dance for his wedding was any inclination of his teaching ways, I was better off just figuring it out myself. I quote, "But, why do I have to learn this? Can't I just wing it? Just going for it has always worked for me before!" I knew both Kurama and Kuwabara had full time jobs, so I wouldn't feel right asking them to take time out of their work for me. And Hiei seemed like he didn't even want to be in the same room as me, so I knew that was out of the question.

I knew I was just going to have to talk to Yusuke the next time I saw him to get in touch with Koenma so I could ask if there was anyone who could and would be willing to teach me.

I left the room, flicking the light off behind me. My feet carried me into the living room where David sat at the couch, his laptop sitting in his lap as he tak'd away at something. I grabbed the remote from the coffee table, plopped down on the couch next to him. I kicked my feet up and laid back, putting my feet up on his shoulder. He scoffed, and moved my feet to his knees behind his computer. I smiled smugly at him as he rolled his eyes and turned the TV on, and drew my attention to the regular everyday human norm.

* * *

><p>There was a lot of things that irritated Hiei. Kuwabara, for instance. But one thing that irritated him more than anything, was snow. Whether that be by association to the people that threw him off the floating island when he was a babe, or simply because it was wet and cold, he wasn't for sure. All he knew was he hated it.<p>

He stood in the oak tree in the back yard of the white and blue home as he glared at the offending snow that was falling. With a scoff, he jumped out of the tree and landed next to the window of the room that the girl and her brother had spent most of the morning cleaning. He growled as he tried to open the window. It didn't budge. He peered inside the room and saw the locks latched into place. He cursed under his breath and tried the next window, to find it also locked.

Normally, such things wouldn't be a problem. He would simply break the window out, but he knew if he did such a thing that he would never hear the end of it from the girl. That was a headache he chose to avoid. Humans were so protective of minuscule things.

He came to another window, and it slid open with ease. He lifted himself through the window frame and slid the window shut behind him, making sure that the latch didn't lock into place. His eyes turned to the room around him. It smelled strongly of the girl. It was painted a soft ash gray, with a few posters hanging on the walls of things he didn't recognize. Her bed was a westernized white frame, sitting low to the ground, and her gray and white blankets knotted into a mess on the mattress.

Next to her bed was a white side table, with an assortment of different random items that seemed to be placed there and forgotten. Across the room from her bed was a plain white desk and chair that held books that were stacked on top each other with no organization. There was a black rectangle sitting on the desk. He remembered the fox calling it a "laptop" many years ago.

The room was rather plain and empty, though the strewn out clothes on the floor made it seem fuller. His eyes fell on the open door to her closet. Curiosity nipped at his mind. What was it about this human girl that attracted a demon enough to turn her into one? An energy demon at that. He decided to give in to his curiosity for a moment, stepping over to the closet in two long strides. The closet was almost empty, most of the clothes it was supposed to hold on the floor behind him. He noticed a few dresses and even fewer skirts, her wardrobe mostly holding jeans and a variation of shirts, which was a lot different compared to a few other women in the group. Other than empty hangers and a few clothes hanging, the closet held nothing of interest to him. As he started to turn away from it, he noticed a dresser sitting in the back corner of the closet. He walked further into the closet and pulled open the top drawer. All it held were the pant like things the girl was wearing today, skin tight and stretchy material. Most of them were black, but a few pairs were different colors and some with different designs. He shut that drawer and opened the next. He eyed the contents of the drawer with mild interest.

It was filled with the contraptions that human females used to bind their chests. He had never seen one so closely, so he lifted one out to examine it. It was a pale pink lace that was sheer across the binding that went across the back. There was a tag inside of it, and he glanced at it for a moment. It read "32B". That meaning nothing to him he went on to examine the rest of the contraption. The place that held the breasts themselves had a thin sort of padding. At the base of the padding he could feel wire that curved around the bottom of it. His eyebrows drew together at that. These contraptions were impractical compared to the binding with bandages that demon women used, and they looked extremely uncomfortable. Why would they put metal in them? There wasn't any reason that the metal would help in binding breasts. With a quick tear with one of his nails, he pulled the piece of metal out to examine it. It was curved perfectly to the padding of the contraption. It was long and smooth, completely flat on one side.

He scoffed and tossed it back into the drawer along with the piece of metal and shut it. Human women were strange. Nothing they did made sense. He opened the final drawer and was met with the contents of underwear that matched the bindings in the drawer above it. These were much more practical. He lifted a pair of underwear that matched the binding he had just examined. They were the same pale pink lace and sheer. Though they didn't cover much, they covered enough that it wouldn't be uncomfortable to wear the jeans that he had seen the girl wear that held tight to her skin.

He felt his dragon purr deeply under his skin as he examined the underwear. Clenching his fits tightly, he tucked the underwear back into the drawer and shut it. He stepped out of the closet, careful to not disturb anything. As he began to leave the room his eyes fell on the desk once again. It, too, also had two drawers. He stepped over the piles of clothes and over to the piece of furniture. The first drawer was only wires and electronic devices of different kinds that he didn't know the name of. The next drawer captured his attention. It held different covers of small books, carefully placed away under a few pieces of paper. As he picked one up and stood, he heard foot steps coming down the hallway. He tucked one of the books away in the band of the back of his pants, letting his shirt hide the rest. He blurred out of the room.

* * *

><p>David had gone to bed around four in the afternoon. He had to be at the hospital at eleven that night. He had gotten wrapped up into taking the shift because of the weather. That left me watching TV by myself as the sun started to set behind the clouds that were now releasing the snow that they held. I felt my stomach grumble, protesting the fact I had yet to eat today.<p>

I sat up from laying down from the couch, pondering what I was going to make for dinner. Normally I'd just be fine with a sandwich or some noodles, but I was assuming that Hiei was also hungry. From what I saw at Genkai's temple, Hiei could eat a lot if he wanted to. But Yukina's cooking was phenomenal, so that may have also had something to do with it.

Finally dragging myself off the couch where I had been lazing most of the day, I searched through the cabinets but was at a loss as to what to make. I, myself, wasn't a picky eater and would eat just about anything that was sat in front of me and smelled good, but I knew demon senses were a lot more sensitive. I wasn't sure if that meant their sense of taste was as well.

"I'm just gonna ask him," I muttered, closing the cabinet I was searching through. But how was I supposed to do that? I had no idea where he was. I crossed my arms in thought. Maybe I should just try and concentrate on his energy to find him instead of standing outside and calling out his name like I was looking for a lost house cat. Sighing, I closed my eyes and concentrated on feeling his energy. It felt like he was...inside? That couldn't be right. I had a view of both the front and back door from my place on the couch. He hadn't come inside. I furrowed my eyebrows as I followed after the energy down the hallway.

The hallway was dark and quiet. I could hear David's deep and even breathing behind his door. With Hiei staying here, he had actually shut his door fully. It was almost eerie with how quiet it was. The snow falling outside was acting as a silencer to the outside world. My feet were bare against the cold wooden floor, sending a shiver up my spine. I couldn't quite pinpoint Hiei's energy.

"Hiei?" I called out quietly to not wake David.

"What do you want, woman?" he snapped behind me. I startled, spinning around. He watched me with traces of amusement on his face as I tried to still my racing heart. I leaned forward, bracing myself against my knee with one hand, while the other rested against my chest.

"Don't do that!" I whispered harshly, glaring at him after a moment.

"Do what?" he asked, crossing his arms. With a huff, I put my hands on his chest and pushed him out of the hallway and into the living room, all while ignoring his pleasant warmth beneath my hands that was tracing up my arms. I wasn't actually expecting it to work, but I must have caught him off guard. Because the bastard was too graceful to stumble, he brushed my hands off of him when he was able to get his footing back. "What are you doing?" he growled, glaring down at me.

"Lower your voice!" I scolded him in a whisper. "And get out of the hallway! You're going to wake David up! He has to go to work in a few hours!"

"Why do I care-"

"Because I'll make you care when he bitches at me because you were too damned loud," I glared back at him, my voice still in a hushed tone. "And you don't want me to make you care." I actually had no idea what I would do to him. I mean, what could I do? Pester him to death? Even if I tried he could do his magical, Houdini disappearing, running thing he does. And it's not like I could track his energy sufficiently enough that I would be able to find him.

Even so, he stared down at me with narrowed eyes. I put my hands on my hips and stood up straight to make myself more intimidating, which I doubt worked, and narrowed my eyes back at him. I gave a triumphant grin when he gave in with a grunt and walked his own self into the living room.

"How did you get inside?" I asked after following him into the living room. "I didn't see you come in."

"The window," he stated simply, his eyes gazing over the room.

"..T-the..The window?" I asked, surprise ringing off of me. "Why on earth did you go through the window?!" He ignored me, silently electing that my question was too stupid to answer. I sighed and squeezed the bridge of my nose. "We have two perfectly functioning doors, you know, in case you didn't notice." He scoffed in response. I rolled my eyes. At least he acknowledged I said something, I suppose. I trailed off to the kitchen. "What do you want for dinner?"

"What makes you think I want to eat anything you make, woman?" he answered, countering my question with his own. "You'll probably poison us."

I whipped around to glare at him. "Well, I'll have you know I'm actually a decent cook, you ass. There's no need to be such a jerk all the damn time." I crossed my arms and turned to go to the kitchen. "So, now I'm going to make whatever I damn well please, and you'll either eat it and be grateful or go hungry. I don't care." I heard him say something in response but, like him, silently elected that it was too stupid to answer. Two people could play this game, ass.

* * *

><p>I sat eating my dinner in silence, watching Hiei through my eyelashes. He stared at the bowl in front of him with distrust. It was one of my moms many hybrid entrees. I had used the steaks in the fridge that were a few days from going bad and seasoned them a traditional American way. I could tell he wasn't used to the seasonings by the way he sniffed subtly at the dish. The steak was made well done, diced, and mixed into plain white rice. The seasoning flavored the rice without any other help.<p>

I held my smug smirk at bay when I watched him finally give in and try the dish. Then quickly took another bite.

Success.

After finishing, I packed away David some of the left overs to take with him to work.

"I'm gonna go call Keiko," I told Hiei before I disappeared down the hallway. "Just put your dishes in the sink when your done. I wash them later. Your room is the second door on the left, the bathroom is the first door to the left." I wasn't expecting a response, so I wasn't offended when he seemed to ignore me. I headed into my room, careful to tiptoe passed David's room. That man had bat ears, I swear. He had like, a five foot radius around his room that if _anything_ was simply shuffled around he would hear it and wake up to come investigate. Passed that five foot radius was a little safer to make noise as long as you didn't bang anything or yell.

I closed my door behind me and dug my phone out of my hoodie pocket, where it sat next to the golden egg that had sat quietly most of the day. I had almost forgotten about it. I dialed Keiko's number, noting it was only eight-thirty and she would still be awake. I pulled the egg out to examine it. It had grown to nearly the size of my palm. I briefly wondered how big the egg was going to get before it hatched.

_How did it go?_ Keiko asked.

"Not so well at first," I answered, honestly. "Hiei had to use his Jagan to make him listen. I guess he showed him things. But, that's not important," I said, embarrassment rushing back over me as I remembered the conversations with David today. I sat the egg down on my nightstand. "You are in so much trouble. I'm so mad at you."

_What? Why? _She asked, genuinely concerned that I was angry. _What happened?_

"I'm too mortified to repeat it over the phone with demon ears near by," I grumbled. "Just trust me. You owe me lunch tomorrow."

_Okay! _She laughed. We tried to have lunch together at least once a week, though the last few weeks she was too busy. _I'm off from the restaurant tomorrow if you want to come by earlier?_

We agreed on our plans for tomorrow and I hung up the phone. I plopped down on my bed, not caring that my head bounced against the mattress and let the comfort of home ease me to sleep.

* * *

><p>After the girl fell asleep, Hiei pulled out the book that he had snatched from her room. He used his Jagan to make sure that her sleep was dreamless, something that couldn't normally be done but the lack of barriers in her mind made it possible.<p>

He flipped the cover of the book open. The back of the cover and the first page was covered in different drawings ranging in size and color. He flipped to the next page which had a few lines of words written in the middle of more drawings.

"Daelyn Bay Matthews. 14" He flicked through the pages, seeing that each page was hand written. He stopped on a random page that was written longer than the others. "A boy asked me out today! Can you believe it? I feel so silly being so happy about it. But it's the first time a boy has asked me on a date, you know? All the other girls in my class have gone on a lot of dates and had boyfriends even before middle school. I didn't because I'm different. They've always known that. I've always known that. I mean, I'm not even really sure I like him. I've never talked to him before. But isn't that what dates are for? To get to know someone? I don't know. I wish I had friends to ask."

He found the girls' journal, he realized. He flipped a few more pages. "I should have known it was too good to be true. How stupid was I? I walked to the movie theater where we were going to meet. He was thirty minutes late and I stood there waiting like an idiot. Just as I was about to leave, I saw him walking towards me with his group of friends. When they saw me, they laughed. 'I can't believe she fell for it. How pathetic!' They laughed louder. Which wasn't so bad. I'm used to getting laughed at. But when he said 'No one is ever going to want to date you. You're too ugly. Go back to America,' I ran away. I ran all the way home. I guess I always knew that was true." He scoffed, turning away from the page. Did the girl honestly think she was ugly? Even he would admit, only to himself, that she was not ugly. She wasn't overly sexy and much too comfortable in her skin like some of the demon women he's come across in his life, but she wasn't plain. All because of some ignorant human boy.

He read through a few more pages before hiding the journal amongst the books on the bookshelf in the room. He would read the rest later.

* * *

><p>It was dark when I woke up. The clock on my night stand read one in the morning. I groaned quietly and yanked my blankets up to my chin and rolled over, wrapping myself tightly in my blankets. But sleep evaded me as thirst dried my mouth. I threw my blankets off and dragged myself out of bed. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes I opened my door and stepped out into the dark hallway. David's door was diagonal to mine and noted that his door was open, meaning it was just Hiei and I in the house, where ever he was.<p>

I shuffled sleepily to the kitchen, letting my feet carry me by memory, more than watching where I was going and left the lights off. The tile floor of the kitchen made me grimace as I hurried over to the fridge to get a bottle of water. Taking a long sip, I glanced over to the sink, half pondering of going ahead and loading the dishwasher so I didn't have to do it in the morning, but I was mildly surprised when the dishes were sitting in the drying rack. _David must have done them_, I mused to myself.

Water bottle in hand, I headed back for my bedroom ready to curl back into bed and go to sleep. As I turned the corner to walk into the hallway, I walked face first into what felt like a wall.

"What the hell," I cursed, rubbing my nose. My eyes adjusted to the darkness for a moment. I had run into Hiei. He stared down at me, his eyebrow raised. I started to step back and say something to him, but froze in horror. "OH MY GOD!" I screamed, covering my eyes and twisting around to face away from him. "WHY ARE YOU NAKED?! AND WET?!"

"Does it look like I'm naked woman?" he scoffed.

Okay, maybe he wasn't _naked _naked. But he was still shirtless!

"Close enough!" I exclaimed, whipping back around, blood rushing to my face. I clenched my jaw and tried not to stare as I looked anywhere but him. He must have just gotten out of the shower. He had a towel in his hand and his shirt thrown over his shoulder. I tried not to watch one of the droplets of water from his hair drip onto his shoulder and trail down his chest and abs- I mean stomach. I really tried not to notice that he was nothing but muscle and trace my eyes in the curves of those said muscles. I felt the heat from his body and the heat that was left on his skin from the shower envelop me, urging me to step forward and trace my hands along the rises and falls in his abs. I tried to ignore the feeling of warmth pooling in my lower stomach and take me over as it grew.

"Have you never seen a male shirtless before?" he asked, almost amused.

"Yes!" I exclaimed, tearing my eyes away from his body to glare up at him. "Plenty of times!"

"You're lying," he stated simply, crossing his arms smugly.

"N-no I'm not!" I defended. "..Okay, maybe I am! But what weirdo walks around in the dark half naked and wet in silence?!"

"What grown woman gets embarrassed by a males' chest?" he countered. "That must prove that you really are a child," he continued, brushing passed me.

"I am not a child!" I defended again. "Put your damn shirt on!"

"Does it bother you?" he asked, not turning to look at me as he stood by the window in the living room and peered out the blinds.

"Yes!"

He clicked his tongue on his teeth. He turned to face me, staring me directly into the eyes as he sat his towel down and grabbed his shirt off of his shoulder. I watched with clenched teeth as he unfolded the shirt and slowly pulled it over his head. The light from the moon bouncing off the snow and infiltrating the window gave him a mysterious glow, making the shadows that contoured him even more saturated. He pulled the shirt down, sliding the black fabric over his abs almost enticingly slow. The heat in my lower stomach didn't lessen as I watched him. It grew, spreading further down.

"Thank you!" I said, and turned on my heels and hurried back into my room. I could feel the heat from his eyes follow after me.

* * *

><p>He leaned on the window sill, watching her as she hurried back to her room, clenching the water bottle that she had in her hands to her stomach. He smirked. She was too easy to rile up. He wasn't sure why he had done it. He had heard her in the kitchen and heard her walking back down the hallway. His body had just reacted.<p>

The way she had stared at him make the dragon under his skin curl in excitement. The way she bit her lower lip made the dragon purr, wanting him to reach out and trace his fingers down her neck and over the green paste that hid the scars and find just how far that scar reached. He could smell her body reacting to his, but her mind told him that she hadn't ever had any experience with these sort of wanting feelings. She was as innocent as the day she was born. And that excited the dragon even further, as it twisted around making his skin itch.

He refused to act on it. She was just a simple woman, and he had nothing to gain from being with her physically. Especially since she was still human. Instead of reaching out for her, he brushed passed her, the dragon all but whining in response to his own skin brushing hers. He expected her to give in and run and hide in her room, but to his surprise she followed after him. He let the dragon take some control, further luring her to him. He made sure to put on his shirt as slow as he could, watching her reaction closely.

But she ran off before her feelings of want and need took her over and ran back to her room. He smirked. Perhaps he could provide himself some entertainment on his guard duty to the girl. Even if it was just to mildly sooth the dragon that craved her.

* * *

><p>The next morning I showered quickly, wanting to get to Keiko's as soon as possible. I had a light breakfast and pointed Hiei in the direction of the cereal and granola bars, determined to avoid his eyes. She could feel the amusement that rolled off of him at that, but she chose to ignore it. Wrapped tightly in my robe I hurried to my room making sure not to run into the demon again. With the door shut firmly behind me I pulled out my phone to call Keiko as I dressed.<p>

"So, what are we doing today?" I asked.

_I was thinking maybe we get some brunch and do some shopping. We were going to have everyone over tonight for dinner. You think David would like to come? _She asked.

"Maybe if he gets off in time," I said, stepping into my closet to retrieve some underwear. I pulled open my bra drawer and paused. "What the hell?" I muttered, pulling out my pale pink lace bra and the under wire next to it.

_What's wrong?_

"One of my bras fell apart," I mumbled, holding the phone to my ear with my shoulder. "It's one of my favorite ones too! The under wire came out in my drawer some how.."

_That's strange. Maybe it came out when you washed it?_ She pondered after a moment.

"Maybe.." I sighed. "Anyway, I'm gonna get dressed, dry my hair and then I'll head over to your house."

We said our goodbyes and I dressed quickly, discarding the now destroyed bra in the trash can next to my desk. I settled for a pair of jeans and a black quarter sleeved shirt with a neckline high enough to cover the scars on my chest. Before I pulled on the shirt, I applied the green paste carefully to the scars. It was doing absolute miracles for the once swollen and angry red scars. They were losing their color, fading into a pale white that hardly stood out from my own skin. It made me happy that the paste was working.

After tugging my shirt on I went over to my bed and pulled out a small wad of money that I had stashed away. Normally I had it there for emergencies when bills were due and David's checks didn't cover them all. But it had been close to two years since that had happened with his ridiculous hours at the hospital. So I decided that I was going to buy myself a few things while I was out with Keiko. David would enjoy that I spent my day as a normal nineteen year old girl.

I tucked the money in my pocket and rushed out into the living room where Hiei stood, his arms crossed. I slipped on my shoes, pulled on a jacket and walked out the door, the demon following behind me. As I locked the door I resisted an eye roll. I knew Hiei had to follow me at all times, but it was kind of annoying for the both of us. I knew he had other things he could be doing, whatever those things were, and I would enjoy some alone time with my friend.

"Don't worry woman, I'm not going to be anywhere you can see me," he scoffed as we walked down the drive way through the thin layer of melting snow.

"Good! And don't listen in because we're going to be talking about gross girl things like periods and stuff!"

He grunted and blurred away. I smiled in triumph. In all reality, I just didn't want him to hear that David thought he was my boyfriend. He probably already knew, but I didn't want him to know that I was mortified by it, especially after last night. I zipped my jacket up and jogged the three blocks to Keiko's.

* * *

><p>"Wait..So, David thought that Hiei was your boyfriend?" Keiko asked, her chopsticks halfway to her mouth. I nodded, my ears turning red. "And then, when you denied it, he asked if Kurama was your boyfriend?" I nodded again. She sat her chop sticks down, a grin spreading on her face. I stared at her blandly as laughter cracked through her attempting to compose her self.<p>

"It's not funny!" I whined.

"You're right," she said through her giggles. "It's hilarious! Kurama I could understand, because well. It's Kurama. But Hiei.." she trailed off, giggles taking her over once again. After a few minutes of her laughter and me staring at her with my lips pursed and eyes narrowed, she finally gathered herself and wiped the tears from her eyes. "But it's not bad enough that you should be horrified by it," she said, sipping from her drink.

"He told me to talk to him before I decided to have sex," I grumbled. "He made me promise."

I stared at her completely unamused as she erupted into another fit of giggles. "I'm so glad my mortification is amusing to you," I deadpanned.

"It's cute!" she defended through her giggles. "He's just looking out for you Daelyn. He doesn't want you to make any bad decisions."

"He's my older brother," I grunted. Great. Now I was beginning to sound like Hiei. "He shouldn't want to know things like that. I don't ask him to tell me when he has sex with someone. It's weird."

She waved her hand at me, brushing me off. "So, did he at least take everything else you told him well?" She asked, continuing to eat.

"Yes and no," I sighed. "Hiei had to use his.." I glanced around the restaurant. "You know. To make him listen." I took a sip of my coffee, relishing in it's flavor before I continued. God, I loved coffee. Tea wasn't bad but I would _always_ take coffee over tea. "He thought I had lost my mind. He tried to call my doctor."

"I can't say I didn't see that coming," she said, quietly. "He's a very practical person. But is he doing okay? I mean, with knowing everything he does now?"

"I guess," I said. "He hasn't thrown holy water or anything on me yet. So I guess that would mean he's taking it well."

"That's good!" she smiled. "I know you two are close. It would have been horrible if he had to forget everything," she continued, glancing around to make sure no one was listening.

"Yeah," I agreed. "I don't know how I would have hidden anything from him if he had to forget."

We finished our lunch quickly, ready to get on with the day. After paying, we stepped out into the cool air. The snow on the sidewalks and roads had already melted in the mid-day sun. I followed next to Keiko as she led me down the street towards the shops. We spent the day jumping from store to store, trying on clothes and gossiping about Yusuke. We giggled and laughed, forgetting all the troubles that were going on. For the rest of the day, we were just two normal girls, spending our day care free and enjoying each others company.

For the rest of the day, I didn't think about how soon, I wasn't going to be human.

* * *

><p>How does 7,583 words do for a long ass monster chapter?<p>

I was originally was planning to have this chapter out Friday. But I had one of my many sleepless nights and got it finished in the wee hours of this morning. So I decided to go ahead and post:)

I started to write the dinner with everyone, but I decided to cut it off there because I didn't want it to drag on too long. That'll be next chapter:)

And can we just talk about Hiei finding Dae-Dae's old diary stash? I wonder what embarrassing things he's going to find in those..;)

So I hope this chapter made all of you laugh like it made me laugh. My husband legitimately asked me if I was okay at one point in writing this because I was giggling like a mad woman. Also, the scene of Hiei finding Daelyns room was all inspired by Aly Goode's idea. She mentioned it in a review and I just _had _to include it. It was too good of an idea to pass up.

**Aly Goode**: Yes, a scary David is not something you want to deal with. He didn't get scary in this chapter, but we'll see it come out sooner or later. Once again, thank you for the idea! I hope I lived up to your imagination:)

**Pourquoibella**: I hope this one came out soon enough! This one didn't take too long to write because I've had almost nothing to do these last few days so I'm taking advantage of the down time haha.

**Heve-chan**: Well, I'm glad that I'm not helping you in your procrastination haha...Kind of :). I'm a really bad procrastinator so I tend to be disappointed when I don't have anything to procrastinate with. If I let myself I can easily put out a chapter over 15,000 words haha. But I've read a few fics here and there that each chapter was quite literally 30,000+ words and it always made me stop reading them because it would give me a head ache trying to read just one chapter. So because of that, I've been hesitant to write such long chapters. I hope this piece of chocolate was big enough for you!

**XBloodMageRikaX**: I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well! I figured I'd try out the longer chapters for a few updates to see how everyone likes them. Hopefully this one is long enough!

Thank you everyone for your follows, favorites and reviews! They mean so much to me!:)

How did everyone like the length of this chapter? Too long? Still too short? Just right? Please PM me or leave a review and let me know what you think! I write all of this for you all. I love hearing back from my readers. As you can see, if you inspire me with an idea, it could just end up in a chapter:)


	14. Chapter 14

"The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails."

-William Arthur Ward

Gravity

Chapter Fourteen

"So, tell me again, who's exactly the demons in the group?" David asked while buttoning up his shirt and heading into the bathroom.

"I don't know exactly who's going to be there tonight," I called out so he could hear me over the running water and resting my cheek on my fist. I sat on the couch waiting for him to finish getting ready. He had only come home an hour before and the sun was already dipping in the sky. "But Kurama, Yusuke, Hiei, and Yukina are all demons. Keiko, Kuwabara and Genkai are humans. Kuwabara and Genkai are psychics and have spiritual awareness. Botan is like. The grim reaper. Kind of. Koenma is the prince of spirit world." I shifted in my seat, and sighed. "Are you ready to go yet? I don't want everyone to be waiting on us."

"Relax. We've still got twenty minutes," he said, stepping out of the bathroom and walking into the living room. "I'm sure they'll appreciate me not coming to dinner smelling like a hospital." He grabbed his wallet and keys from the coffee table. I stood with a huff from the couch. "You look nice," he said, glancing me over. "Trying to impress someone?"

"No!" I said firmly, pursing my lips. "Keiko bought it for me and snuck it into one of my bags. It would be rude not to wear it." While we had been out shopping earlier I had come across this deep red sweater like dress. It came down to my knees and didn't hug too tight. The neck of the dress was a loose turtle neck and it had long sleeves. Keiko insisted I try it on, and when I did, she pitched a fit that I wasn't going to buy it. So somehow she managed to buy it and at some point during the day, she managed to hide it in one of the bags of clothes that I had bought, tucking it under a few things so I didn't notice until I was already at home and hanging things up. It was a beautiful dress, but it was something I would never normally ware. So, I used tonight as an excuse to wear it, paired with black leggings and calf length boots that I had pushed in the back of my closet. I didn't want her to feel like I didn't appreciate her gesture.

We walked out to the car and I glanced over the roof tops and through the trees. I hadn't seen Hiei since this morning, but I could sense that he was near by. As I sat in the car, David gave the engine a minute to warm up in the cold. It wasn't snowing out, but it was definitely cold. I sighed and sat back in the seat, pulling the golden egg out of the bag I was carrying and twisted it around in my hand. It had grown even since yesterday night, now taking up most of my hand.

"What's that?" David asked, nodding towards the egg.

"It's my spirit beast," I said holding it out to him for him to see it better. "Koenma gave this to me. It feeds off of my energy. When it hatches it's going to be a reflection of my soul."

"So, small and annoying?"

"Shut up," I said, giving him a half hearted glare. "As the egg grows, its feeding off the energy I give out. If it's good energy, and my soul is good, then it'll be a creature that helps me. If I give off bad energy and my soul is bad, then it'll hatch and eat me. Koenma said I shouldn't be worried though," I said, as the egg gave a small pulse. "It's supposed to grow with my growth of energy. But it was the size of a normal egg just a few days ago. My energy is growing so fast but..I don't feel any different." David reached out and patted my head.

"That's because you're the same person you were even before all of this. That's never going to change. You're just going to get super powers," he said, giving me a half smile.

"Thanks," I said quietly, returning his smile. I looked back at the egg in my hand as I rested my hands in my laps. Just how long was it going to be before it hatched? "Oh, and thank you for doing the dishes last night. I fell asleep before I could get to them."

"What?" he asked, looking at me oddly. "I didn't do them. They were done when I got up."

"Oh," I blinked. "Hiei must have done them then." That was strange. He didn't really seem like the homely type to do the dishes. I would have to thank him later.

We drove the few blocks to Keiko and Yusuke's in silence, with music playing softly around us. The egg was giving off soothing pulses that made my muscles relax. I started to wonder if David could feel the energy the egg was giving off, but if he did he didn't seem like it bothered him. I tucked the egg back into my cross-body bag as I stepped out of the car when we pulled up to the curb of their home, the fabric of the bag only slightly dulling the pulses that I felt.

I noticed Kurama's car was pulled up into the drive way, and another car I didn't recognize was parked in front of David's. We walked up to the home, and Keiko opened the door before we had a chance to knock. She beamed at me when she looked over the dress she bought me. I relented in my irritation with her for sneaking it into my bag when I saw her smile at me like that. It was too hard to stay mad at her for too long.

She pulled us inside, giving David a warm hello. I started to kick off my shoes, watching the scene before me in the living room. Kuwabara and Yusuke were wrestling on the floor, shouting obscenities at each other. Kurama watched them with a bemused expression, while sitting on the couch with his leg crossed over the other. Hiei stood on the other side of the room, his arms crossed, and eyes closed. I could see his eyebrow twitching in irritation.

_He must have come in through the damn window. _I grumbled to myself. At that thought, his eyes slid open and greeted my gaze. He smirked at my blush. _Get out of my head, you ass,_ I hissed at him in my mind. My attention was pulled away from him as Yusuke gave Kuwabara one last punch and left him in a pile on the floor. He strutted over to us, a proud smile on his face. He greeted David with one of those man hand shakes, you know what I'm talking about. Where they grip each others hands too tight and give one firm shake and giving each other a nod. Yusuke turned to me and grinned evilly. Before I could run away from him, he grabbed me and locked my head under his arm, digging his knuckles into my scalp.

"Well, don't you look pretty?" He cackled as I tried to push him off of me. "What're you all dressed up for, kid?"

"Stop!" I exclaimed, blindly slapping his hand away. "My hair is already frizzy enough with out your help!" I managed to finally twist away from him and glared at him darkly as I ran my fingers through my now knotted hair. "Can't I just want to look nice?"

"Stop being rude!" Keiko said, smacking him in the arm. He protested, but she sent him a glare that caused him to clam up immediately. "Now, we're going to go and finish dinner. Introduce David, and don't be rude!"

Keiko then took me by the arm and tugged me away from the boys. I looked back and gave David an apologetic look but he just shook his head with a smile. Once in the kitchen I was pleasantly surprised to see Yukina there, cooking away as she hummed to herself. She turned when she heard us enter.

"Hello, Daelyn," she greeted with a smile. "I see your brother didn't lock you away."

"Yeah," I said, continuing to try and tame the hair that Yusuke angered. "He almost did though."

"I didn't know you had a brother," a smokey voice came behind me. I turned to see a woman sitting at the dinning room table who I knew was model like tall, with long, light brunette hair and almost hazel colored eyes.

"Hello, Shizuru," I smiled at the woman. "And yes, I have an older brother. Long time no see." I had only met Shizuru a few times, the first time being at Yusuke and Keiko's wedding. "How have you been?"

"Can't complain," she said, shrugging. "I heard you're going through quite the change."

I nodded, smiling at her openness. I knew from watching her with the others that she was a quiet woman, but she held nothing back. I always appreciated her honesty. It wasn't something that a person came by frequently.

Keiko pulled me over to help her and Yukina finish dinner, though I wasn't able to help much since it was already almost finished. I mostly just placed the table for the large group, but I was glad to help. It almost felt..normal. They had accepted me so easily into their group even though at first I wasn't trusting of their intentions. They thought nothing of my untrusting thoughts and worked to assure me that they, in fact, wanted to help me. Although I didn't not everyone well, I knew I could trust them with my life.

Yukina went to gather all the boys in the living room after the table was finished being set. They trickled in, Kuwabara and Yusuke bickering back and forth about beating each others faces in, David and Kurama following afterwards talking quietly to one another, and Hiei following last.

David looked towards me and paused in his conversation with the red head as his eyes fell on something behind me. I blinked and glanced over my shoulder. Shizuru was also staring back at David, her eyes widened slightly. I looked back to my brother and met eyes with Kurama who had also noticed what I did. I gave a sly smile, which Kurama returned with a scheming look in his eye. We knew instantly.

Mission: David and Shizuru.

Kurama made sure to take the open seat next to me, while Hiei had already claimed the other at the end of the table where I sat next to the end, forcing David to take the only other open seat: inbetween the pretty brunette and Yukina. Kuwabara sat next to Yukina, Keiko sat next to Kurama, and Yusuke sat at the other end of the table.

I watched my brother and Shizuru through the corner of my eye through the entire meal. David introducing himself politely with a smile, and Shizuru reciprocating with a barely visible blush. In between Yusuke and Kuwabara's antics, Yukina's laughter and Keiko scolding the two men for acting like children, no one noticed besides the three of us at the end of the table the quiet conversation between the two eldest of the group. Though, I'm sure Hiei had no interest as he sat with an almost bored expression with the scenes in front of him. I did my best to ignore the warmth coming from his leg under the table next to mine as I leaned over to Kurama.

"I haven't seen David interested in someone in a long time," I said quietly so the two across the table wouldn't hear.

"It's been almost eight years for Shizuru as well," he answered me just as quietly. Satisfied with his answer that Shizuru was single, I held back a grin and subdued my giddiness. It was about time that David got a girlfriend, and I was determined to make it happen.

"So, Daelyn," Yusuke said, grabbing my attention. "How's your change coming along?"

"Um, well. I don't feel any different," I said honestly. "If no one had told me what was going on, I don't think I would even realize it."

"Your energy levels have definitely grown since the last time I saw you," Kuwabara piped up. "They still aren't very strong, but there's a big difference."

"That's good, I guess," I said, twisting my chopsticks on my plate. "I just wish I knew what to expect."

"You smell stronger of a demon than you do a human," Kurama offered.

"Huh," I mumbled, sipping my tea, briefly wishing it was coffee. Kurama drew everyone's attention away from me with a question and I was extremely grateful for that. I felt warmth burning the side of my head and I glanced up to see Hiei studying me. He met my gaze for a moment, then turned his own gaze elsewhere. It was strange, my body going through all these changes. Though I didn't feel any different, I could tell my sense of hearing was getting better. Also being able to feel everyone's separate energies and be able to differentiate each energy was strange. I could feel everyone's emotions twice as strong as before, but it was like my mind was able to ignore it, pushing those foreign feelings to the back of my mind so I could focus on everything around me. Strong emotions still pushed through though, demanding that I felt them. Earlier that day while shopping with Keiko, I could feel the anger from some of the sales people in the stores while dealing with a berate customer, or the happiness from children skipping down the street. I could feel the emotions, taste them, hear them, feel their warmth or coldness. I could experience every emotion that a stranger sitting next to me was feeling, yet I could tell the difference between their emotions and my own.

The dinner passed with a lot of laughter and yelling over one another, the latter coming mostly from Yusuke and Kuwabara. They talked of their old times, reminiscing amongst each other of old battles and funny moments. I was able to learn from their chatter that Kurama was a fox demon, Kuwabara had a sword that he could make completely from his own spirit energy, and that Yusuke could fire his spirit energy like a gun. It all sounded so surreal to me. These people had _powers. _They fought creatures that I had only seen in my dreams or read about in books. It was almost as if I was watching a movie in real time. But I knew all of this was real. It was now my life. It was going to become my norm.

"Daelyn, your bag is glowing," Shizuru said, snapping me from my thoughts. I blinked, and turned, and sure enough, my bag that I had discarded in the living room while being dragged to the kitchen was glowing.

"What in the world," I muttered, standing from my spot. As I took a step, the world shifted around me. I could hear my heart beat in my ears, deafening me to the other noises around me. I went to take another step, but the world started to spin. I felt my eyes roll into the back of my head as everything went dark and my body started to fall forward. In stead of feeling the hardness of the ground, I was enveloped in warmth. I heard my heart give one last beat, sending an explosion though my head and everything else faded away.

* * *

><p>I awoke with a start. My eyes snapped open while my body snapped up into a sitting position, almost knocking heads with David who was leaning over me. Everyone in the room was gathered around me on the couch. My eyes flickered around, my mind completely alert. Something was different. I felt different. Things looked different. I could hear everyone's breathing as my muscles tightened in response, my fight or flight response turning quickly in my head.<p>

"Daelyn? Are you okay?" David asked, kneeling next to me. "You passed out."

"Something's different," I said, clenching my fists. I could feel everyone's eyes on me. It was making me nervous. But there was one thing missing in my nervousness. "My heart isn't beating."

"Your body has fully changed," Kurama explained standing next to my brother. "You're fully demon now. Our heart's don't beat like a humans." I stared at him eye wide. "You had a surge of energy before you passed out. I believe that's what caused it." He glanced over his shoulder. "It also caused your spirit beast to hatch." He stepped to the side.

Yukina came forward, holding a black fluffy creature in her arms. As she came towards me, it opened it's eyes. It's eyes were as familiar to me as my own every time I looked in the mirror, the same blue that David and I had from our dad. It's little body quivered in excitement and leapt from her arms and landed on my lap. It was a cat. A fluffy black cat. It nuzzled its head under my chin, purring loudly as it kneaded my chest with it's front paws. I ran my fingers through its fur, amazed at the shining softness. As my hand ran down it's body, I paused. Instead of a normal fluffy curling tail, it had a fluffy dragons tail. One of the those tails that went from wide to thin, the end of the tail coming into a triangle.

"Well," I said after a long moment. "I've always wanted a cat. The cat sat back on my lap and stared up at me. It gave a quiet "Mi" and nudged my hand with its nose. I scratched the cat behind its ear with a smile.

"Are you sure you're okay?" David asked, his hands pulling my face to look at him.

"Yes, I'm fine," I looked around, pulling my face from his hands. "I'm sorry for ruining dinner."

"Don't even start!" Keiko said, her eyes narrowing as she put her hands on her hips. "We're just glad you're okay! Don't ever scare me like that again!"

"Yes, Mother," I muttered, earning a harsher glare.

"We need to get in touch with Koenma," Kurama spoke up, looking towards Yusuke.

"Yeah, I guess so," he sighed rubbing the back of his head. "Man, I really don't want to deal with binkie breath tonight."

"We could wait until tomorrow," I offered. "It is getting kind of late and I'm sure everyone has to work in the morning. I'll be fine for the night."

They talked amongst themselves for a few minutes as I turned my attention back to the cat creature in my lap. It had crawled up into my arms and curled up, falling asleep with its head burrowed deep into my arm. I could understand. I was getting pretty groggy myself.

"Well then, we'll get together tomorrow night and contact Koenma, if you're sure that's okay?" Kuwabara asked.

"It's fine," I waved him off. "I really want to get some sleep."

"Okay," he said, but I could tell that he was still uncertain. I stood from the couch, careful to not wake the cat sleeping in my arms. "Well, Sis, I gotta take Yukina to the train station before we head home."

"David could take you hope, Shizuru," I piped up quickly. "I-I mean," I stammered when their eyes turned to me. "We only live a few blocks away. Hiei and I could be home in a few minutes," I said, looking towards the ruby eyed demon who grunted and looked away. "I'm really tired and I'd like to get home and get some sleep." I offered up quickly trying to come up with an excuse.

"I could do that," David said after a moment. I held back my cheer of victory and hid my grin behind my hair as I looked down to the sleeping creature in my arms.

Everyone said their goodbyes for the night. I followed Hiei out the back door. I soon realized what I had just gotten myself into. This is the first time that I had really come face to face with the demon since last night. I felt a blush rise to my cheeks. In trying to set David up with Shizuru I had forgotten my own embarrassment around Hiei.

But I steeled myself. It was worth it, I told myself. Once in the darkness of the back yard, Hiei turned towards me and lifted me up. I relaxed into the warmth of his chest. The cold was harsh and the wind was blowing the cold into needles across my skin. Even with my embarrassment my body didn't fight the warmth that he gave off.

We blurred away from Keiko and Yusuke's home. With the change in my body, the speed didn't make me as dizzy as before though I still couldn't see where we were going. Everything was blurring passed us. Next thing I knew we were standing in front of the door to the house. He put me back on my feet and I was pleasantly surprised to find that I didn't loose my balance. The cat in my arms still hadn't woken. I started to get worried but I could feel the gentle purr coming from it's body. Shifting the creature in my arms, I reached for my bag.

"Oh no," I groaned. "My keys are in my bag. I left it at Keiko's!"

He scoffed and disappeared. With a sigh, I looked down at the fur ball sleeping in my arms. _Must be nice_ I thought, smiling down at it. I couldn't remember the last time I had a good nights sleep. My mind was always on the edge of awake, fearing to fall into a deep sleep. Even with not having a deep sleep Seikatsu still plagued my dreams, keeping my mind from a restful sleep.

Now that I was a demon, was it going to be any different? Was I going to be able to protect my mind from Seikatsu? I needed to find a way to protect myself. I hoped talking with Koenma tomorrow was going to help. Hopefully he could find someone willing to teach me. I had no fighting experience. All of the bullies in high school that picked on me I always turned the other cheek to. My mom had told me that it was always better to be the bigger person and just ignore it, but she said she would never be angry at me for defending myself. I never defended myself. I always tried to be the bigger person and ignore it, hoping that maybe they would leave me alone because they weren't going to get a rise out of me. Except for one time that I pushed a girl down and threw paint and glitter on her because she put glue in my hair.

I heard the door unlock from the inside and lifted my eyes as Hiei opened the door.

"Did you go through the window again?" I asked blandly. "You know what? Don't answer that. Thanks for opening the door."

"Hn."

I rolled my eyes and walked inside the house. I was just going to have to get my bag from Keiko's tomorrow. Kicking off my shoes, I headed back to my bed room. I gently laid the cat in my arms on the bed, careful not to jostle it awake. Content that it wasn't going to stir, I grabbed my robe and headed for the bathroom. I had already showered today but I wanted the hot water to ease my muscles.

Once in the bathroom, I slid the door shut. I took a minute to stare at my reflection. I didn't look any different. Same border line sickly looking pale skin, same blue eyes, same curly and unruly mop of black hair. I turned to each side looking at my body. There wasn't any difference. At all. I rubbed my eyes and turned on the shower, letting it warm up as I undressed.

Stepping into the shower, I let out a quiet hiss as the hot water made my fingers and toes sting. Suddenly under the steaming water, I hadn't realized how cold I was. I let the water wash over me. The feeling of my muscles loosening under the spray was almost euphoric. I closed my eyes and let the feeling wash over me and simply letting my mind wander where it wanted.

The change in my body was over. I was full demon. It hadn't been so bad, right? The loss of consciousness kind of sucked, but besides that, I was almost shocked to find that it hadn't been painful. Maybe the change was a good thing. I could hear better, smell better, see better. It was like all of my senses had been put into over drive, almost as if my body was going through an adrenaline rush that never ended. It was strange that I couldn't feel my heart beating though. As a human, you never think about the sensation in your chest, as the muscle pumped the blood through your veins. It was something that you had always known even before birth. The sensation being gone was...different.

But I guess I would get used to it. I had to. There was no going back, not that there was any other option before. Once the energy had entered my body it was done. I was going to be a demon. I _am_ a demon. It was almost funny to think about. I had always been different from everyone around me, just simply because, well, I looked different. Now I really was different. I was living in a world now with demons, ghosts, super powers. Things that normal people only dreamed about and read in fairy tales. Besides one of those said demons trying to come after me and seduce me to his side, I was almost grateful for the change. I was brought into a world that, surprisingly, I felt like I belonged to all along.

The shower starting to cool snapped me out of my thoughts. I turned the faucet off and stepped out. Drying myself quickly, I reached under the sink for the green paste that I had stored away. I unscrewed the top and carefully traced the scars. I really needed to thank Kurama for this stuff. It was doing miracles. I wrapped myself in my robe and snatched my clothes up off the ground and headed back for my room. I could feel Hiei's energy in his room as I walked passed. I noted that David still wasn't home, his bedroom door wide open and no lights on in the house. Once in my room, I closed the door behind me, discarded my clothes on the floor and crawled onto my bed, not caring to change clothes or mess with my wet hair. I laid down, pulled the still sleeping fluff ball over to me and wrapped one of my arms around it, keeping close to my chest, and pulled the blankets up to my chin.

I fell into a deep and peaceful sleep.

* * *

><p>I awoke to something pressed on my face. I laid there with my eyes closed and tried to brush it off. But a few seconds later it came back. I slid one of my eyes open. A pair of blue eyes stared back at me.<p>

"Mi?" it mewed.

I sat up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. The sun outside my window signaled it was late morning. I felt my stomach rumble, signaling that it wanted food. Now. I looked down at the cat as it stared back up at me lazily, it's oddly shaped tail flicking back and forth. It was a reflection of me, right? Did that mean it was hungry, too? But it was also a reflection of my soul. I didn't think souls got hungry.

"Am I supposed to feed you?" I asked it.

It's ears twitched at my question. It started purring and nuzzled my hands, while nibbling on my fingers. I was taking that as a yes.

With a sigh I dragged myself out of bed. I dressed in a pair of jeans and one of the shirts I had gotten yesterday. Satisfied that the neckline was high enough, I turned towards my desk where I had a small mirror sitting. I grimaced when I saw my hair. Falling asleep on wet curly hair was _never _a good idea. Damage already done, I sighed. I reached for the brush on my desk and went to work trying to pull the tangles out as gently as possible. In case you didn't know, you _never_ brush curly hair.

After a few minutes of pulling the brush through my hair, I almost wondered if it was worth it at all and maybe I should have just left it a tangled mess. The frizz ball that I call my hair was puffy and had no real shape to it. Just puff. I yanked it all back to the back of my head, trying to smooth it out as much as possible. Twisting the length up and around itself, I secured it with two hair ties. One just wasn't going to hold the mass of my hair.

Once I was partially satisfied with my appearance I headed for the kitchen. The black cat followed after me quickly, padding along happily next to me. I greeted David, who was sitting on the couch with his laptop, with a "good morning" as I, and my small companion, made our way to the kitchen.

"Now," I said turning to the creature and kneeled down in front of it. "Am I supposed to feed you cat food?" It stared back at me blankly, it's tail held up and the tip falling over into a question mark like appearance. "Or people food?" It purred loudly, twisting around and rubbing my legs. "Are you just telling me that?" I asked suspiciously.

"Mi!" It gave a loud mew and sat down, it's tail swishing back and forth.

"..Can you understand me?" I asked the cat.

"Mi!" It started purring once again and came over to nibble my fingers.

"Huh," I said, running my hand down it's back. "Well, that's cool." I stood and walked over to the pantry searching for something to feed the feline.

"Talking to cats is going to make people question your sanity," David said, standing in the door way. I looked over my shoulder at him. The cat set to work rubbing against his legs, purring loudly enough for me to hear it completely across the kitchen.

"She can understand what we say," I said, pulling out a can of chicken. "She's not a normal cat."

He hummed, and reached down to pick the cat up. It snuggled into his arms happily. "Can you really under stand us?" he asked it.

"Mi!"

He shook his head. "My perception of the world is being questioned everyday," he mumbled.

After opening the can I searched for two dishes to give the cat the chicken and water. Settling on two sauce dishes I dumped the chicken into one and filled the other with water. I sat them down on the ground and the cat leaped from David's arms, surprising him and rushed over to the food, almost sliding across the tile floor.

I glanced up to David's face who blinked in surprise.

"Priorities, bro," I said standing and making my way to the fridge. "So," I started casually. "How was taking Shizuru home?"

"Fine," he said.

"Just fine?" I asked. "You didn't come home for a while. I took a shower before I went to bed and you still weren't home when I got out," I said, putting together some cereal and milk. I sat at the table and shoveled a spoon full in my mouth as I looked at him.

"Yeah, yeah, I know what you pulled," he said, raising an eyebrow at me.

"I'm an awesome wing-woman," I said proudly. "Now, sit down and dish me the details and let me bask in the glory of my hard work."

He sat at the other end of the table with a sigh as he smiled. "We went and had a few drinks before I dropped her off at home," he said. "We just talked."

"And?" I pressed.

"And she's a very nice woman," he said crossing his arms.

"And she's very pretty," I continued. "And you aren't all that bad looking, and you're close to the same age, and she's got an annoying little brother like your annoying little sister."

"Daelyn," he said, rasing his eyebrow at me.

"David," I countered.

He didn't say anything for a few minutes as he watched me with pursed lips. I watched him also as I continued to eat cereal. I knew there was more than what he was telling me. Call it a sisterly intuition.

"So, we're going to have dinner this weekend," he said finally.

"I'm an awesome wing-woman," I repeated, grinning.

"I could have asked her out myself," he said blandly.

"But you wouldn't have," I said matter-of-factly. He didn't argue with that. "Now admit it, I'm an awesome little sister part time wing-woman."

"Don't hold your breath," he said, pushing away from the table as he smiled. "I have to go into work at three. I don't know when I'll be home," he said, leaving the kitchen.

"You know you love me!" I called after him. "And I'm the best little sister there is!"

With an air of proudness around me, I finished my breakfast and washed the dishes in the sink. The cat had long since finished its own breakfast and followed me around the kitchen mewling after me. I picked her up in my arms and scratched her behind the ears.

"Now, what should I call you?" I asked her.

"Mi!"

"You want to be called Mi?"

"Mi!" she purred loudly. I smiled.

"Okay, Mi. How about I go out today and get you some toys and stuff? Would you like that?" I wasn't sure if she would. I was assuming it was a she because she grew from my soul, so it would only make sense. She wasn't a normal cat. Mom had been allergic to cats so we could never have one while I was growing up, but I knew that cats loved toys and scratching posts. Mi was a spirit beast. Did she still have the same qualities as a cat?

"Mi!" she mewed and purred even louder nuzzling into my neck, her dragon like tail wrapping around my arm.

I smiled, taking her reaction as a yes, she would enjoy some toys. I was glad. I loved cats. I would have been greatly disappointed to have a cat like creature after all these years and had it not have the same qualities as a normal house cat.

I heard foot steps coming down the hallway and saw the familiar dark haired demon. Perfect.

"Hiei!" I said brightly. He paused, narrowing his eyes at me. I bounced over to him and pushed Mi into his arms. "I'm going to go to the store. I know you have to follow me, but I can't take her into the store. So, I need you to hold on to her." Mi started kneading Hiei's chest as his gaze lowered into a glare. "See? She likes you. It won't be so bad."

"I'm not babysitting," he growled, pushing Mi back to me.

"Yes," I said, pushing her back. "You are. I'm not going to leave her here. David probably won't be here when we get back. I'm not going to leave her alone." Hiei tried to push her back to me, but Mi clutched onto his shirt with her claws and gave a protesting mew. I grinned. "See? She likes you."

"Take it," he demanded, trying to pull her away from him again, but Mi gave another protest and clung once again with her claws to his shirt, purring when he pulled her back closer to him.

"Nope," I said, skipping away from him.

"Woman," he snapped, following after me.

I hurriedly grabbed a few bills out of the stash in a jar in the living room. I tucked them into my pocket and rushed over to the door and grabbed my shoes and ran out the door, not bothering to pull them on until I was out in public where Hiei wouldn't make a scene. I smiled triumphantly as I tugged on my shoes one at a time, hopping on the opposite foot. I could feel his anger and irritation push forth in my mind as his energy followed after me as I walked down the street.

* * *

><p>It was surprisingly warm for a winter day. The snow that had fallen two days ago had long since melted and the sun was shining brightly. Normally he would have been relaxed by that, but due to the furry creature in his arms that was purring loudly and kneading at his chest. He followed after the girl begrudgingly as she merrily made her way down the side walk. He was tempted to leave the girl by herself and letting her take care of herself. But he knew if he did that and something happened to the girl he would never hear the end of it.<p>

He cursed under his breath as he jumped from roof top to roof top. Soon reaching the city, she disappeared into a shop. He stood at the top of a building that looked down at the building she was in. The creature in his arms nuzzled down and sat content to simply purr, its eyes lazily taking in the surroundings. He grit his teeth staring down at it. Spirit beasts were reflections of their owners souls. If the creature in his arms was trusting him to carry it without harming it, that meant the girl was trusting of him. That made the dragon under his skin twist in delight as he growled.

Why was this damn dragon making this so difficult? The dragon was urging him to interact with her, stir her emotions up, get a reaction out of her. To just simply be around her. If it wasn't for the dragons constant pestering under his skin that made him itch he would never interact with the girl, simply watching her from a distance. Besides her sensing his energy, she would have never known he was there.

He wanted nothing more than to just ignore the girl. Yet, when he saw her react to him, whether it be positively or negatively, he enjoyed watching it. _No, _he growled to himself. _It's just the dragon. _Just because the girl was now a full demon didn't change the fact that she was once human. Humans were beneath the demon race. They always would be. They were feeble, their bodies unable to with stand damage. It was prominent in the fact that they didn't live long. Their life spans were ended before a demons life span truly began. That alone made the demon race superior. But if one were to add in the fact that most of them had no spiritual awareness and completely defenseless that was the last nail in the coffin to the fact that they were less than the demon race.

When the girl finally emerged from the store, she looked up and made eye contact with him. She smiled shifting the bag in her hand and started walking back home.

_But she's not human,_ the dragon all but whispered under his skin.

* * *

><p>Well, quite a bit of action at the beginning of this chapter. Dae-Dae has gone through her change aaaand Mi has finally hatched:3 (please note the kitty face.)<p>

I'm sorry this one isn't _quite_ as long as the last chapter, but I'm not even going to lie to you all, this chapter for some reason was really hard for me to sit down and write. I'm really not sure if I'm happy with it, but I know myself, and if I were to let myself completely scrap this and try and rewrite it I would keep rewriting it. Over and over and over and over and over again. If I need to rewrite a chapter I usually find the specific thing that I don't like and just rewrite that, but I just couldn't pin it what it was in this.

And when I mean it was really hard for me to write, I mean at one point I had literally stared at the screen for nearly an hour writing _nothing. _Just staring at the screen and touching the track pad to keep my computer from going to sleep. So I just made myself write and tried not to think to hard on what I was typing haha.

So, I'm trusting you all to tell me if something just...isn't right.

Also! I'm going to be trying to apply for jobs on Monday. It's only going to be part time, but bills are bitches and we need a little extra money coming to make ends meet. I hope it won't effect the speed of my updates _too much_, but there's no telling. So I'm asking forgiveness now if it turns into me only being able to update once a week or two weeks. I enjoy giving you all multiple chapters a week, and I like being so invested into a story and talking with you all. So I hope to be able to keep doing that.

**Heve-chan**: There's never such a thing as too many sweet jokes haha. And don't worry, I don't normally write cliff hangers. There are a few special occasions but normally I'm not _that _cruel. (Sometimes). The diaries are going to be pretty important later on. But I'm not going to say anything other than that. I'll let you decide if that's a cliff hanger...;)

**Aly Goode**: A moment like that will come, I assure you! David is protective of his little Dae-Dae and Hiei is the big, bad, first romantic interest. He will have a few choice words for our favorite fire demon:). I had so much fun writing the bra part. I think it was honestly my favorite scene I've ever written. Thank you so much for the idea haha.

**XBloodMageRikaX**: Thank you! I'm glad it made you laugh like it made me:) It's more of a _when _she finds out he's the one he broke it haha. Men just don't understand what it's like to have a favorite bra! And to just destroy it like that? Blasphemy. I hope this chapter lives up to the last one!

**pourquoibella**: I'm glad that you like the length! I wasn't sure how I was going to be able to do it at first without it just running on and on forever. But I'm really enjoying the freedom it gives me with scenes. I'm happy you liked it!

**Ensavondel**: I'm happy you like it!:) I'm hoping to keep my updates steady for you all. It's going to be a long and crazy ride haha.

Thank you for all the favorites, follows and reviews! Please leave me a PM or review and let me know what you think! I love talking with you all:)


	15. Chapter 15

**Trigger warning:**

This is probably the only time I will post this. This story is rated M for a reason. I'm a fully grown and mature 22 year old married woman with quite the imagination and loves to read creepypasta. This chapter contains graphic gore and violence. Future chapters will have sexual content. So please, if these thing's bother you: read to your own discretion. I will try my best to remember to post in the beginning of chapters if it contains anything that someone may find triggering or offensive, but I can't promise I'll remember. This chapter, the next chapter and _maybe_ a few more will be considerably darker than the earlier chapters.

* * *

><p>"Keep your face to the sunshine and you will not see a shadow." -Helen Keller<p>

Gravity

Chapter Fifteen

_Of course _I left the house not realizing that I didn't have my keys due to the fact that they were in my bag. At Keiko's. _Of course _David had already left by the time I got home from the store and had locked the door when he left. And last, but believe me, not least-

"HIEI! QUIT BEING AN ASS AND OPEN THE GOD DAMNED DOOR!" I screamed, pounding my fist on the wooden door, not giving a damn at this point if I was disturbing the neighbors. When I had walked up to the door and had come to the realization that I didn't have a way to get inside, Hiei appeared next to me, unceremoniously dropped Mi into my arms and blurred away. I thought that he had been going through the window to unlock the door like he had done last night, but after a few minutes of waiting and feeling his energy inside the house and not moving, I realized what he was doing. "You are such a spiteful immature child!" I exclaimed, banging on the door again. I could feel his amusement bubble up in my mind. "Yeah, fuck you, too, bastard!"

I turned away from the door with a huff. Mi was happily curled up in my free arm that wasn't carrying my shopping bag. David was always too paranoid to put a spare key outside, especially when I was home alone so much, meaning unless I had my keys there was no other way to get inside. That is, unless I used the bastard's way of getting inside the house. With a grumbled, I walked over to the gate that lead to the back yard. Luckily it was locked with a combination lock instead of a pad lock. I quickly twisted the three numbers into the dial with the hand that I carried the bag and pushed the gate open. Closing it behind me, I knew I was going to have to come back outside later to lock it back, but I was going to wait until David got home or we were leaving for Keiko and Yusuke's before I did that. Because I'm sure if I came outside to do it once I got inside, the bastard inside would lock the door behind me again.

I walked around the side of the house to the back yard. The lock on my window was faulty and never latched correctly, so I slid it open with ease. I tossed in the bag and gently pushed Mi through the window. Placing my hands on the window sill, I placed on of my feet against the siding of the house and used it to push myself up as my arms pulled me into the window. With the upper half of my body inside of my room, and my legs hanging out of the window, I tried to twist myself so I could get my legs in front of me. My hand that was gripping the window ledge for balance slipped. Before I could catch myself my body teetered forward, causing me to fall. Directly onto my face on the carpet. I laid there for a moment, stunned.

I heard a scoff and I twisted my head up from the carpet to see the bastard dark haired demon leaning in my doorway, with his arms crossed as he took in my disheveled and embarrassing position. I sat up, tucking my legs underneath me as I glared at him.

"Don't laugh at me, you asshole!" I growled at him. "If you would have just unlocked the damn door I wouldn't have had to come through the window!"

"Consider it your payment for making me have to babysit your cretin."

"She is not a cretin!" I protested, glaring at him.

"Hn." He pushed himself away from the door frame and disappeared down the hallway.

With a grumble I slammed my door shut. I turned and rested my back against the door with a sigh. Mi looked up at me, her tail curled around her legs, her ears twitching back and forth.

"Don't listen to him," I told her, pushing away from the door and sitting in front of her. I pulled the plastic bag that I had thrown in the room over to me. "He's just an asshole."

"Mi!" she agreed.

I searched through the bag, and my fingers wrapped around a long and skinny item. I pulled it out with a smile. It was a pale green collar with a small golden bell. I had also bought a small silver tag and had it engraved with "Mi". After attaching the tag to the collar, she let me snap it onto her with out any fuss. Yes, I realize how silly it was. She was a spirit beast, not a house cat. But dammit, I've always wanted a cat. And she was my spirit beast. I could dress her in whatever I wanted!

She continued to watch me closely as I dumped out the contents of the bag. Her eyes lit up happily as she immediately started batting at the contents that had landed in the floor. A few types of different balls, some that jingled, some that rattled, a few that were just a puff ball and sparkly. I smiled as I watched her for a few minutes. I stood from the floor and just as I started to stretch I felt a presence behind me.

Before I could turn and look, Mi bristled and hissed staring directly passed me. My stomach twisted and as I started to turn and look, one arm snaked around my middle, pinning my arms to my sides and another hand pressed a cloth to my face. I could smell something sickeningly sweet invade my nose and before I could hold my breath, everything went black.

* * *

><p>He stormed down the hallway at the disappearance of her energy. The creature she called "Mi" was meowing loudly unable to get out of her room. He threw the door open and the cat leaped up into his arms mewling frantically. The room, besides the cat, was empty. There was no sign of a struggle, nor had he felt anyone's energy in the house. She had just disappeared.<p>

He growled and looked down at the cat with narrowed eyes as it meowed even more frantically, trying to tell him something. When he looked down at the creature, it lifted it's front paws and pressed them to his cheek. His mind was flooded with images.

The girl had been sitting and smiling at the creature. When she stood a figure emerged from the shadows behind her. He could see the realization on her face that something was behind her. The figure covered her mouth with something and he watched as the light left her eyes as she faded into unconsciousness. The figure pulled her into the shadows, both of them disappearing.

The images disappeared from his mind as the cat in his arms meowed loudly and retracted it's paws. It was a shadow demon he realized. That's why he hadn't been able to feel it's energy. When a shadow demon is cloaked in darkness, the energy of the demon completely disappears.

"You might actually be useful, creature," he growled down to the cat in his arms how mewled in return. He blurred away from the home to find the ex-detective, all while trying to ignore the dragon roaring in his ears.

* * *

><p>It felt like I had been hit in the head with a brick. I groaned as I tried to sit up, the pounding in my head causing me to lay back down in defeat. The movement sent a wave of nausea through my body. I was barely able to simply roll to my side and vomit persistently three or four or seven times. I wasn't really sure. The pounding in my head made all of my other senses a blank state. I rolled away from the bile to my other side and curled up on the cold floor. It was almost soothing to my pounding head. My eyes tried to open, but they felt like they were made of lead. So I gave up, and let the pounding drown me into unconsciousness.<p>

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><p>"What do you mean she's gone?!" Yusuke shouted.<p>

"Exactly what I said, detective," Hiei snapped back, glaring. "She was taken by a shadow demon."

"Well, why did you let them take her?!"

"Yusuke," Kurama said, stepping in between the ex-detective and the fire demon to keep them apart. "You haven't been in demon world long enough to know about that species of demon. If a shadow demon is what took Daelyn there's nothing we could have done," the fox explained as Yusuke continued to look around him to glare at the fire demon. "When a shadow demon is moving through the shadows they can transcend through dimensions in a matter of seconds. You can not sense them."

"Well, if he knows it was a shadow demon, then he must have seen it take her!" he argued with the fox.

Hiei growled and started for the detective when a loud meow came from their feet. Mi was twisting around the mens feet. When she saw that she had their attention she jumped up into Yusuke's arms and pressed her paws to his cheek, the same way she had done to the fire demon earlier.

After a few moments of Yusuke's eyes staring off into the distance seeing the images the creature had to show him, she pulled her paws away from him and squirmed, urging Yusuke to hand her to the fox. When he did, she did the same thing, sending images to the red head.

"God damn it!" Yusuke shouted and turning to storm down the hallway of his home.

The door was thrown open and the large figure of Kuwabara came though the door, huffing and out of breath.

"I got here," he said gasping for hair, leaning forward his hands on his knees. "As fast as I could. What's wrong? What's the emergency?"

Mi leaped from Kurama's arms and ran over to the orange haired man. She showed him what she had shown the others. Hiei stepped back and crossed his arms as Kurama explained to Kuwabara what he had told Yusuke about the shadow demon species. The dragon was raging under his skin and in his mind, keeping him from being able to think correctly. He had sent out a telepathic message to the three men that there was an emergency.

He could feel the anger pooling inside of himself. He was certain that this shadow demon was working for Seikatsu. It was too convenient for the demon to not be working for him. Though her body had gone through the changes, she still wasn't giving off enough demonic energy for any other demon to risk abducting her, especially with his own presence in the home. She had been taken from right under his nose. That made his blood boil.

"Koenma's opening a portal for us to go to spirit world," Yusuke said, coming back to the living room. "Let's go."

* * *

><p>When I opened my eyes again, I could feel that the pounding in my head had eased. I was able to sit up without nausea completely taking over, though the room tilted around me as I tried to stand from the cold stone floor. I braced myself against the wall and willed the world to stand still. It was a room made completely of stone. The walls were covered in paintings and lavish carpets. One side of the room had a large window, with deep red, heavy velvet curtains that were tied back with gold ropes. Across from that was a large canopy bed that was draped with the same material that hung from the windows. The blankets were a multitude of different colors and fabrics. Book shelves lined the walls, filled with leather bound books, scrolls, papers that were simply tied together with twine and foreign objects. A large, metal chandelier hung from the ceiling with candles giving the room an eerie glow. In the center of the floor was a large fur rug of some type of animal I had never seen before.<p>

I gently pulled away from the wall while swallowing back the rising taste of bile in my throat. The world tiled once again, and I fell back against the wall. I let out a shaking breath and squeezed my eyes shut, willing my mind to focus. _Just like the morphine_, I told myself. _Focus. Focus. Focus._ I opened my eyes and took another step away from the wall. The room still shifted, but I kept my feet firmly planted on the ground. After a few second of nausea passed, I started to move forward, keeping my eyes directly on the only heavy wooden door in the room. That had to be the way out. After a slow pace and a few minutes I was at the door. I reached for the door knob and tried to twist it open. It didn't move.

"Of course it's locked," I muttered out loud. There was no visible lock that I could see. I turned away from the door and looked across the room. I could see now that the window opened up, leading to a balcony. I tried to make my way over to it, but the room spun around me, sending me into a pile on the floor. In the midst of a groan, I retched. Hard. It bleared my eyes, as I tried to push myself up on my hands and knees. But my body wouldn't comply. My muscles were weak and my joints felt like jelly. I started crawling over to the window. Surprisingly, my crawling pace was faster than my walking pace. With all four limbs on the ground, the world didn't spin as bad. It made me feel more grounded.

Once I reached the window, I used the handles to the glass doors to pull myself up off the ground. I pushed open the door and they gave away easily, causing me to stumble and fall hard to the stone ground of the balcony. I laid there for a moment, trying to gather myself. I had hit my head on the ground. The lump throbbed with the rest of my head as I tightly closed my eyes. I forced myself to breath deeply, in through my nose and out through my mouth.

Once my head was clear enough that I felt I could move, I pushed myself up and sat back heavily. What the hell was I drugged with? I could remember learning about chloroform in chemistry class in high school. I remember thinking it was strange to learn about it. Why teach people what the side effects of it? Were they trying to form us into serial killers and kidnapers? The side effects could range from a light head ache to nausea for up to two hours after someone breathed it in. I don't know how long I was unconscious, but it definitely felt like it was longer than two hours. I took a few more deep breaths and looked up. I froze, eye wide.

Why was the sky red?

I forced my body to stand, and stumbled forward again, landing hard against the railing of the balcony. I stared out over the balcony, my eyes nearly popping out of my head. I was in a castle that looked like it came out of a Brothers Grimm book. It was crumbling in parts with vines growing and twisting up the sides. The vines were covered in flowers that had teeth, yes, teeth, and thorns as thick as my arm and twice as long. The red sky gave it a foreboding appearance, making goose bumps rise on my skin. The castle stood at one side of a large city that was surrounded in trees that went on for miles. I could see movement in the city. Things moving about, like ants marching to and from their colony. The quiet roar of people reached my ears.

"I see you're finally awake."

* * *

><p>Hiei. Was. Pissed.<p>

"So, let me get this straight," Yusuke said, his fists jammed into his pockets. "You have absolutely no idea where Seikatsu is or have any idea where he could at least possibly be?"

"That is correct," Koenma in his teenaged form said. "Especially since it was a shadow demon that took her. Should she had been taken through a portal we would be able to track her. But we can't track a shadow demon in inter-dimensions. However, I have dispatched a recon team to search for her energy signature. They're the best spirit world has. If she's in demon world, we will find her."

"How soon?" Kuwabara asked. "I mean, we have really no idea who this guy is or what he wants. What if he hurts her?"

"Then I'll hurt him back," Hiei snapped. He was standing to the back of Koenma's office. The dragon was at a constant uproar under his skin. It was burning him from the inside out in its rage. His arms were crossed over his chest, but his bandaged arm was shaking as he drug his nails into the flesh in his palms.

"Hiei," Kurama spoke, grabbing his attention. "Perhaps you should step out for a few minutes."

He scoffed and turned away from the group and made his way for the door. He needed out of this room before he hurt the one sitting behind the desk. "She better not be hurt when you find her," he spoke over his shoulder, the threat in his voice ringing as loud and clear as day. He disappeared through the door.

* * *

><p>"Who are you?" I asked, my voice sounding thick and slow, so the question didn't come out as harsh as I wanted it to.<p>

"I go by the name Tetsuya," the young man bowed. His skin was as pale as snow. Most of his ash gray hair was cut short to his head, with the front of it longer, and pushed back out of his face. As he stood, he smiled at me with eyes as black as coal. "I'm the one who brought you here."

"Where is here?" I tried to snap, but my voice was still slow.

"Lord Seikatsu's castle, my Lady."

My head started spinning again. I felt like I was about to be sick. I lost my footing and fell forward to my hands and knees. I started breathing through my nose trying to keep the bile back. Oh, god. Of course that's where I was. Why would I have been kidnaped and taken anywhere else? Tetsuya rushed to my side.

"I'm sorry, my Lady," he said. "Lord Seikatsu gave me that mixture to use because of your captors," he said, rubbing circles on my back. I twisted my head to look at him like he had grown four heads. "He was afraid I would scare you and that they would hear. So he told me to use that for your protection so I could get you here safely. It's made from some of the most potent smelling plants in demon world. The side effects are terrible."

"Did you say my _captors_?" I asked increduously. "They weren't my captors! They're my friends! You're my captor! And stop calling me your Lady!"

He blinked slowly, as if not understanding what I just said to him. I saw his eyebrows slowly draw in confusion. He opened his mouth to say something after a moment, but was cut short.

"Tetsuya," a familiar voice said. My head snapped up and my gaze was met by a lilac gaze. "I asked you to come and see if she was awake. Not have a conversation with her."

He stood quickly and bowed deeply. "Yes, my Lord. I apologize. I was just so happy to finally meet the Queen that I forgot of your request."

"Leave us," Seikatsu said, waving him away.

"Yes, my Lord," he said, bowing once again and hurrying passed the blue haired demon. He gave one last look back to me, his face still drawn in confusion, and he disappeared into the shadows.

I forced myself to stand once again, and gave a hard glare to Seikatsu who smiled.

"Now, now. There's no need to be angry," he said, strolling forward, his arms crossed behind his back. "I apologize for the chemical mixture. But what other choice did I have? The side effects will pass soon."

"You had the choice to leave me the hell alone," I snapped, well, tried to.

"I couldn't do that," he smiled again, now standing in front of me. His long hair was tied back, but the wind was blowing it around him making him look very feral with his smile. I hadn't noticed before that his tanned skin was covered in sky blue markings of straight lines that came to a point across his shoulders and some down his arms. I could see on his chest where his shirt was torn half way open that the markings were on his chest also. "Once I had discovered that your transformation to your demon body was complete, I just couldn't wait any longer. You couldn't wait any longer."

"If I never had to see your face again it would be too soon," I said, glaring at him because my voice wouldn't cooperate with me.

"You say that," he said smoothly. "But now that your change is complete your powers are going to grow at a rapid rate. Your energy is going to grow. You need to learn how to control that energy. Only I can teach you."

"Why don't I believe you?" I asked, my glare still hard as he shrugged.

"It doesn't mean anything to me whether you believe me or not," he said as he looked out over the railing. "Because you are here now. You won't escape. Your friends won't be able to find you." He looked back at me with a smirk. "You're under my control now. It would be in your best interest to not fight that."

I scoffed and tried to move away from him, but my jelly feeling joints caused my leg to buckle beneath me. Seikatsu caught me by the arm and twisted me around to look out over the railing.

"Do you see all this?" he asked, his warm breath brushing passed my ear as he leaned down to speak. "This is my kingdom. This is your kingdom. All of those demons down there have been rejected by their people for various different reasons. They have been cast out, enslaved or beaten to near death for their differences. Water born species with the power over fire. Fire born species with the power over plants. Some that just simply look different than what they are supposed to. All of those demons escaped from those that tortured them and turned their backs on them. They had no place to go. Being out in the planes of demon world by yourself is a death wish if you are not powerful enough.

So they came here. They gathered under me because I accepted them. I can protect them from those that wish to harm them. This place is a sanctuary. It's not deep enough into the layers of demon world that they have to fear the large creatures and monsters in the woods, but it's not close enough to the surface that they have to fear the three kings and the ruler of this world."

"If you can protect them so well, then why the hell do you need me?" I asked, my voice beginning to return to normal. "Why couldn't you have just left me alone?" He spun me around and pressed my back into the railing, his arms on either side of me, pinning me there as he stared down at me with a smirk.

"Because," he said slowly, leaning his face down to mine and put his lips next to my ear. "A king cannot be without a queen."

"Then let one of them be your queen!" I said, trying to push him away. But he held fast, and I felt him smile against my cheek.

"I've already chosen you," he said. "And you would do well to not fight that."

"Fuck you!" I spat, yanking my head away from him. "I don't want to be your stupid queen! I want to go home!"

"Why?" he asked, lazily. "So you can let that dragon sink it's teeth into you?"

"I don't even know what your talking about!"

He pulled his head back and stared at me with narrowed eyes before he broke into a grin. "They haven't told you anything, have they?" He laughed. "The one with the dragon is that fire demon that you're so fond of. Hiei, I believe is what you've called him. That dragon of his is causing him to want you for himself. It senses your power that is awakening. It knows how powerful you will become. It wants to claim you before anyone else can."

"W-what?" I stuttered, in surprise. "Hiei doesn't want anything to do with me! I'm just an annoying burden he has to deal with because of you!"

"You're very blind," he chuckled. "I will not let him take you from me," he said, stepping away from me. He grabbed my arm once again and pulled me into the room I had woken up in. He all but threw me down on the bed and he made his way towards the door. "I'll send servants to take you to bathe," he said over his shoulder. "You smell of human filth. Once you bathe, we will go to meet the village."

With that he was gone and I heard him lock the door behind him. I clenched my teeth. _Bastard_, I thought, as I sat up and clenched my fists. I wanted to stand up and try to escape. I wanted to try and kick the door down, or climb down the cracking stone walls outside, the latter would probably end up with me either killing myself or at least gravely injuring myself, but at least it would have been _something_. My body was just still to weak. The softness of the bed was inviting me to lay down on them and sleep away my weakness and headache. But I did not give in to either urge. I simply sat on the bed and tried not to cry.

Were the boys really not going to be able to find me? Was I really going to be stuck here forever? Or at least until I was powerful enough to escape? Something in my instincts told me that I wasn't going to be able to escape once I got stronger. I was never going to be powerful enough to leave. What was David going to do? He was going to be alone. I felt tears spring into my eyes, but I blinked them away.

No. I was going to find a way out. I was going to escape. They were going to find me. They had to...right?

I turned my attention to the door as I heard it unlock and swing open. I was greeted by two young girls, one still just a child who looked to be around the age of eight, and another girl, a little older, who looked to be about thirteen. The younger girl had pastel pink hair that was like a mane around her head with the way it stuck out, looking like it needed a good brushing. Her large golden eyes were full of innocence and untainted happiness. Her deeply tan skin was a stark contrast to her light features as she smiled brightly.

The older girl had dark teal colored hair, with eyes that matched the shade perfectly. Her hair was pin straight and hung passed her shoulder blades. Her skin was smooth and had a very light sun kissed look to it. She didn't smile as brightly as the younger girl, but she still greeted me with a soft smile.

"Hello," the older girl greeted, bowing. "I am Naoko."

"I'm Akemi!" the other girl said, quickly following with a bow. She stood again quickly and smiled her bright smile to me. I couldn't resist giving her a small smile in return.

"Hello," I said quietly. Akemi skipped over to me and Naoko followed behind at a slower pace.

"We're supposed to take you to the bathing chambers and help you bathe!" Akemi said brightly. Everything she did was bright, her happiness radiating off over her infecting those all around. "But first, we're supposed to give you medicine to make you feel better!"

That was when I noticed the wooden cup in Naoko's hands. She held it out to me and I took it from her gently. I eyed the nearly clear mixture with mild suspicion. But I quickly deducted that Seikatsu didn't want me dead, so why would he poison me? I lifted the cup up to my mouth and gave it one small sip. My face contorted in disgust as I held the cup away from me and gagged.

"I know it's gross, my Lady," Naoko said, her face apologetic. "But it will make you feel better."

I sighed and stared at the concoction in distaste. With a sigh, I pinched my nose with my free hand and chugged the rest of the fluid in the cup. I had to close my eyes and breathe deeply for a few moments as my stomach tried to expel the disgusting liquid. When I was certain that it wasn't going to come back up, Naoko took the cup from me and sat it on the wooden side table next to the bed. Akemi grabbed my hand and pulled me off of the bed.

"Come!" she said, happily. "We have the bath already prepared for you!"

"Akemi!" the older girl scolded gently. "Don't pull on my Lady's hand like that!"

"Oh," the younger girl said, visibly drooping. "I'm sorry, my Lady. I just got excited."

"It's okay," I said softly. It was heart breaking to see her upset. I took her hand again. "It doesn't bother me. And please, don't call me your Lady. My name is Daelyn."

"Okay, Lady Daelyn!"

I sighed silently. Close enough, I guess. I didn't like being called Lady. Especially because Lady went with the word Lord which was referring to Seikatsu. The walk to the bathing room was filled with Akemi's happy chatter and Naoko's quiet responses. The medicine that they had given me worked surprisingly fast. By the time we had walked just a few feet away from the room I was in my headache was gone and my weakness had disappeared. I was thankful for that, but I would never say that out loud.

Once we reached the bathing room Akemi started gathering things together and Naoko turned towards me with her soft smile.

"Do you need help undressing?" she asked.

"Uh," I blushed. "No. I'm okay." She bowed and followed after Akemi to help her with the different things she was carrying. I stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do. I knew in Japanese culture that it was normal to bathe with the same sex, I had grown up with it, but they weren't bathing. I shifted on my feet and started to slowly pull my shirt over my head. My jeans followed after and soon I was completely nude and Akemi motioned me over, almost visibly bouncing in joy. I covered myself as best as I could as I stepped over to the bath and slowly slid down into the steaming water.

Naoko pulled the hair ties out of my hair, and ran her fingers through my hair, pulling any knots out gently. She gave me a quiet instruction to duck my head under the water, which I followed. Akemi handed her a bottle and she went to work helping me clean my skin that was covered in dried sweat. The mixture that I had been drugged with must have caused me to sweat while I was unconscious. The soap that she used was lightly fragranced with a floral smell. Once she was satisfied that my skin was clean, she and Akemi both went to work on my hair, lathering it with a different scent. It reminded me of the smell of smoke. At that realization, I felt tears burn my eyes. It reminded me of the way Hiei smelled. It made me remember where I was, and how I just wanted to go home.

"Are you okay?" Akemi asked, her eyes wide in concern. "Did we get soap in your eyes?" I shook my head and rubbed my eyes trying to will the tears away, but they kept coming faster and faster, finally starting to stream down my face.

"Are they really not going to be able to find me?" I asked.

"Of course not," Naoko said, her voice sympathetic and trying to make me feel better. But her words just made it worse. "Lord Seikatsu has a barrier around the city that no one can get through unless allowed by him. No one is going to come for you."

That was a knife that jabbed directly into my heart. I knew she was trying to make me feel better, thinking I was afraid that my "captors" were going to come for me. I didn't try to explain the tears that fell. Knowing about the barrier told me that the only way I was going to get away from this place was if I escaped. These girls may be innocent and harmless, but they trusted Seikatsu. I couldn't trust them with the truth. Not unless I wanted to put my life in direct danger. I didn't want to die here, no one being able to find me and wondering where I was for the rest of their lives. I wanted to escape.

The rest of the bath was silent as they rinsed my hair and put a creamy liquid in my hair and let it sit for a few minutes. After rinsing that out, they helped me out of the bath and sat a fresh set of clothes to the side. Naoko grabbed a roll of bandages and approached me with a kind smile.

"Raise your arms, please, Lady Daelyn," she said softly. I did as she asked and her eyes fell on the scars on my chest. Thankfully, she didn't say anything, just like neither of them had said anything about the dried green paste that had covered them before. I didn't want to have to explain that. She went to work binding my chest down with the roll of bandages before tucking the end away in the folds. "Do you need help dressing?" she asked.

I shook my head and they both bowed and stepped outside. I looked over the clothes. They were like the clothes that everyone else was wearing. Fighting style clothes that were loose to the skin. The pants were white and the ankles had cuffs that were red in color. I slid those on when I saw that there was no underwear in the folded clothes which rather irked me, but I brushed it aside. I couldn't run around naked. The shirt was also white, with a red trim on the sleeveless edges and at the bottom of the shirt. I was irritated even further when I saw the neck was torn down to show the top of the bandages that were used in replacement of a bra, showing the top of my incision scar. I clenched my teeth as I took the last remaining article, a red sash, and tied it around my hips to keep the pants from falling.

I sighed and stood there in the bathing room for a moment and tried to collect myself before I walked out. If I was going to try and escape I needed to get my shit together. Once I felt like I wasn't going to cry anymore I followed after the girls.

* * *

><p>Koenma had sent them back to the Human World until he or his recon team found a lead. They had gathered at the girl's home, waiting to break the news to her brother. Hiei stood off to the side of the living room trying to keep his dragon at bay so he could think. It was getting more and more angry the longer they sat here doing <em>nothing.<em> The ex-detective had called his wife, who was sitting with him on the couch looking solemn as he explained to her what happened to her friend. Kurama was sitting in one of the chairs next to the couch as he stared off, deep in thought. Kuwabara sat to the other side of the brown haired girl trying to help Yusuke comfort her, to no avail. Mi was sitting curled up in her lap watching everyone in the room.

They were going to have to tell David what happened. The others had discussed who would tell David when he came home. They came to the decision that everyone should be here and let Yusuke be the one to explain. Yusuke had known David longer than all of them combined, minus Keiko. The others were here simply for damage control.

Everyone visibly tensed as keys jiggled in the door, sliding the lock open. David stepped through the door and stared at them in surprise as he kicked off his shoes and closed the door behind him.

"Hello," he greeted, looking over everyone. He was still in his scrubs from the hospital, reeking of illness, death and antiseptic. "Where's Daelyn?" he asked. Keiko burst into tears at his question. Mi let out a quiet mewl and pressed her face into Keiko's neck. Everyone in the room darkened even further as the obsidian haired man looked around the room, his eyebrows drawing with each second. "Where's my sister?" he asked again, his voice harder than before.

"David," Yusuke said. "There's..." he sighed, running his hands through his hair causing to fall in his eyes as he pushed it back again. "Daelyn's been taken."

"What do you mean 'taken'?" he asked harshly.

"A shadow demon took her while she was in her room," he explained. "When shadow demons are cloaked you can't sense them. He was able to take her without Hiei noticing until she was gone."

"Well, why are you here? Why aren't you out trying to find her?" he demanded.

"It's not that simple," Yusuke said, surprisingly calm even though David was all but yelling. "We don't know where he took her. We're all assuming Demon World, but Demon world is four times bigger than Human World with different levels. If we went searching blindly," he shook his head. "We would never find her."

"What are you doing to try and find her?" he asked, his teeth clenched as his fingers dug into his palms turning his knuckles white.

"Koenma has a recon team out trying to locate any trace of her energy signature. Since we acted quickly, there should still be a trail."

David yanked both of his hands through his hair while he tried to calm his breathing. His eyes landed on the fire demon on the other side of the room.

"You were supposed to protect her," he snapped. "You were supposed to make sure something like this didn't happen."

Hiei growled at the accusation. He was well aware what his duty was. He knew he failed. The job he had been given was to make sure the girl was unharmed and to be kept away from Seikatsu at all costs. He didn't need this human to point out his mistake.

"There was nothing Hiei could have done," Kurama spoke up, trying to mediate. "Even the strongest demon in Demon World would not be able to sense a shadow demon while it's cloaked." David wouldn't listen. He was beyond angry. His rage was running free and it was focused on the fire demon. He stalked forward, his blue eyes blazing with fire.

Hiei pushed away from the wall, squaring off to face the man. His own anger was swirling inside him, keeping him from backing down from the human. The fire demon saw his fist coming. He could have moved out of the way. But for some reason, he stood there, letting David's fist collide with his cheek and jaw, snapping his head to the side.

The room silent.

"That," David spoke, his voice deadly calm. "Was for letting her get taken. _When_, not if, _when _you find her and she's been hurt in any way, _I don't give a damn that I'm a human_, I will find a way to make you hurt like her."

"There's something wrong with Mi!" Keiko's voice came in a panic.

* * *

><p>Seikatsu lead me out to the court yard, his hand pressed firmly to my lower back. I could feel the warning coming from him. Don't make a scene or I would regret it. Not that I was going to make a scene anyway. I needed to make him think that I was complying with him. I needed to make him think that I had accepted my fate and that I was never going to be able to escape. Once I was able to do that, I would be able to run. But first, I had to meet the population of the city.<p>

The courtyard to the castle was huge to say the least. It was the size of three medium sized homes put side by side. And it was filled with demons. I could feel the excitement and anxiety coming from the crowd. It was strong enough that it almost made my head spin, but I stayed focused. Don't cause a scene. Push through it.

"Today is a special day," Seikatsu spoke, his voice reaching over the crowd by some miracle. The chatter of the people died down, and their full attention was on us. I could feel hundreds of eyes staring at me. I shifted on my feet awkwardly. "The Queen that you all have been so anxious to meet has finally arrived. Earlier today, one of our own was able to steal her away from her captors and bring her here. Though she is confused, she will soon rise to my side once she is able to harness her power. She will be strong. She will be able to help me protect you all. Thank you all for your patience during this long awaited moment, and I simply ask that you give us just a little more of your patience while she grows in her power. Once she has reached her power, we will move forth with our plans." He glanced down at me. I could see in his eyes the threat of a warning as he stepped away from me. He blinked, and the look was gone as he looked back over the crowd. "I introduce to you," he held his arm out to me, like he was presenting a prize or a trophy. "Queen Daelyn!"

The roar of cheers startled me, causing me to jump in surprise. Being so suddenly put on the spot caused my cheeks to turn red as I stared down at my feet. I just wanted to run away. Disappear into the crowd and escape in the chaos. I knew it wouldn't work though. Seikatsu would catch me before I could make it ten feet away. He said a few more things to the crowd that I completely ignored as I tried to make myself as small as possible with hunching my head down and crossing my arms against my body.

He pulled me away from the crowd, gently pulling my arm, but his fingers dug into my flesh. I followed after him, more than eager to get away from the staring eyes and swirling emotions. Once in the castle, Seikatsu didn't say anything. He led me down a series of hallways that I wasn't familiar with. I knew he wasn't leading me back to the room I had woken up it. It was in the opposite direction of where he was taking me. I couldn't feel anything from him. It was like he had no emotion at all, just a blank slate. That made me extremely uneasy. Even Hiei who tried to pretend like he was emotionless still felt things.

We stopped in front of a door and he turned to face me.

"We're starting your training now," he said. "Good luck."

With that he opened the door and pushed me inside. He closed the door behind me, casting me into complete darkness. I reached behind me to feel for the wall, but I just felt empty space. I felt panic rising in my chest.

_Breathe_, I told myself. _It's just the dark. The dark can't hurt you._

I heard laughter to the right side of me. I whipped around to face the noise, straining my eyes to see, but it was useless. I couldn't even see my hand directly in front of my face. The laughter came again, but this time behind me. I turned again, reaching out to try and touch something. The laughter came again, surrounding me in it's noise. It sounded like a girl's laughter, but it was distorted. Warping around me, and deepening like it came from a monster. More laughter joined in, deafening my ears to anything but that sound. I covered my hears tightly with my hands trying to dampen the sound, but it just got louder and louder.

Then it stopped.

I took a shaking breath as I slowly lowered my hands from my ears. I saw a flash of light, streaking across in front of me. I reached out for it as it flashed again and pain shot up my arm. I yanked my hand back as a warm liquid oozed down my arm. I hissed, tears springing to my eyes as I cradled the injured hand to my chest.

"What the fuck?!" I exclaimed, as another flash came towards me, causing me to fall back trying to dodge away from it. I landed hard on my butt, sending a shooting pain up my tail bone. Suddenly a figure appeared before me. Tall, broad shouldered, and slowly stalking towards me, a sword in its right hand. As it came towards me ruby eyes appeared out of the darkness. "H-hiei?" I stammered. This couldn't be real, could it? Had they already found me?

But the look in his eyes scared me. They were cold and solid as he stared down at me. I swallowed a lump of fear in my throat. He wouldn't hurt me. Would he? He raised his sword above his head and swung down, causing a scream to rise in my throat as I covered my head with my arms. The pain never came. Slowly, I opened my eyes.

The smell of fire was burning into my nose. The scene around me was just...chaos. Somehow, I was standing. All around me were flames, burning hot against my skin. Piles of dead bodies surrounded me, mutilated almost beyond recognition. Nausea began bubbling in my throat as the smell of burning flesh invaded my senses. I glanced down feeling something in my hand. I let out a blood curdling scream when I saw the head of a child clenched by the hair in my hand. It's eyes stared up at me blankly, blood dripping from the nose and mouth. I threw the head away from me, and saw that I was covered in blood. My hands were stained crimson, my clothes splattered in some areas, but drenched in others. I could feel it sticking to my skin, still warm and dripping.

"How could you do this?!" a familiar voice demanded. My head snapped up to see my brother standing there among a pile of limbs and torsos. "You're a monster!"

"No!" I pleaded. "I didn't do this!" I felt my body move forward without my permission. David turned away from me and started to run, but an invisible force came and knocked him to the side. He landed in another pile of bodies and severed body parts. He struggled to stand, his already dirty clothes staining with blood. He froze when I stood in front of him. I could see the fear in his eyes. My arm rose as I tried to fight it. I couldn't control it. It was like my body was moving with a mind of it's own. I screamed as my hand came down, slashing across his throat. I watched in horror as the light flickered away in his eyes. Tears spilled down my cheeks as I watched his head roll off and into the pile, his body falling back lifeless.

"_NO!_" I screamed, fighting against my body to gain control again. The hand that had slashed him rose up in front of me, the fresh blood dripping slowly down my arm. My fingers rubbed together, almost as if it was enjoying the feeling of the blood of my brother.

Then it was dark again. I screamed again, finally able to control my body as I wrapped my arms around myself and fell forward to my knees. I screamed as tears spilled down my face. More images came to me. Blood, death, fire, pain. Each one more graphic than the last, filling my vision with death of everyone I cared about, their blood oozing from them as light left their eyes in their final moments of pain. Images of them torturing me, peeling my skin off and slicing my abdomen open.

I was in hell.

* * *

><p><strong>First off, I need to say that not every battle scene or any other scene will be this graphic. <strong>

Okay, now that I've said that, let me explain. I tried every which way that I could get across how traumatic these scenes at the end were. I've re-written it probably about ten different times. But no matter how much I wrote it and re worded it, it was not coming out how I wanted it. I just decided to go for it. So I'm very sorry if it disturbed any of you in anyway or caused offence. **This will be the only scene like this!**

Now that that's out of the way, we just got thrown into some chaos pretty quick, didn't we? I was going to draw things out a little more with a few more filler chapters, but after the last update I could not bring myself to write another filler. Just couldn't do it. Mind and body would not let me. My mind just shut down and went "Nope. Not 'til you move this train along."

Seikatsu is one twisted bastard.

And David punched Hiei. I'm not gonna lie, that part wrote itself. I had nothing to do with it. Coughcough.

Also, I adore Tetsuya, Akemi and Naoko. Like. I love them so much it hurts haha.

This chapter is also the longest chapter I've written so far! I made it longer to make up for the fact that the last chapter fell kind of short.

**Hakudoushi-9**: Well, I hope you don't feel like you have to cut a chick with this ending! It wasn't too much of a cliff hanger...Okay, maybe it was. But sometimes cliff hangers are good! They add to the drama:)

**Aly Goode**: The dragon is going to be causing some serious issues for our favorite, three eye'd fire demon.;) And Dae-dae, well...She's going to be quite mortified most of the time haha.

**Heve-chan**: I've been trying pretty hard to get updates out quickly, haha. I've really been enjoying writing this so, all of my free time is spent writing the next chapter for this story. Thank you for being honest! I'll go back in a few days and read over it and try to correct any mistakes that I've made. I do read over my work before I post, but when you've stared at it for so long its easy to skip over the mistakes, you know? I've had a multitude of jobs before, but since I got married I decided the job I was working at just didn't fit my life anymore. So I haven't worked in a few months. It's only going to be part time though, so I'll still have plenty of time to write:)

**XBloodMageRikaX**: I absolutely love Mi. I'll admit, a lot of the inspiration for her came from my two cats haha. I wasn't completely sure what her beast was going to look like when it hatched even though I knew I wanted her to have one. But at that point one of my cats had come over and just plopped down on my laptop and after scooting the fur monster away, I knew. It needed to be a quirky, crazy, "talkative" cat. And who would expect a little sister to be such an awesome wing woman?:)

**Pourquoibella**: Yeah, I struggle a lot with filler chapters. I'll just get bored with them and have no inspiration to write. But I know their needed in a story to flesh everything out, you know? Not much Hiei and Mi interaction this chapter, but there will be plenty next chapter! I promise!:)

Thank you everyone for your favorites, follows and reviews! I love hearing your feed back, so pretty pretty pretty please send me a PM or drop a review in the little box below this and let me know what you think!

And please don't hate me for the gore?:)


	16. Chapter 16

"Find a place inside where there's joy, and the joy will burn out the pain." -Joseph Campbell

Gravity

Chapter Sixteen

It had been two weeks since she was taken. Two weeks of sleepless nights, rising tempers, arguments, and frustration. Mi hadn't been the same since that night two weeks ago. She was terrified. Any sudden movements or loud noises would send her into a panic, causing her to lash out or hide for hours. She wouldn't eat. She wouldn't sleep. She was constantly curled up into a tight ball, fur standing on end as her haunting blue eyes would stare out across the room. Her small body would shake almost like she was having a seizure. But nothing anyone did would help.

It had been two weeks. Koenma's people were still coming up empty handed. Her trail would have run cold a week and a half ago. They were still searching, but it was starting to seem like she would never be found. They knew she was alive. Mi wouldn't be alive if she wasn't. If it hadn't been for the withering creature the recon team would have been called back a week ago. Because of the state the spirit beast was in the search was becoming more frantic.

It had been two weeks. Two weeks of rage curling under Hiei's skin. The dragon was at constant war under his flesh. It had actually started to burn his flesh under the bandages that covered it. He used his Jagan, searching everywhere for the girl, for any glimmer of her energy. But she was gone. Her presence had been totally erased.

He left human world late one night, leaving everyone behind without a warning. He couldn't sit by idly and wait for Spirit World lackey's to try and find her. The dragon demanded him to do something. He had brought Mi with him. Though the creature was small, it gave off an abundance of demonic energy, protecting it from the demon world air. He the girls brother would be angry that he took the spirit beast. Yet, the others would just have to explain to him that if his Jagan couldn't find the girl, her spirit beast could. It was a bond that couldn't be severed.

Since he had let David punch him, the man didn't acknowledge him, which was fine by Hiei. He had other things to worry about, such as the dragon that was tearing away at his flesh on his arm. The punch hadn't hurt. He told himself that he let the human punch him because he knew if he attacked in retaliation that he would be in trouble with Spirit World for harming a human. He knew the real reason. But he would never admit it to himself.

He stood in one of the large trees in the forest a few hours away from the portal to the human world. With practiced precision he wrapped the bleeding wounds on his arm with clean bandages as he stared out over the forest. His Jagan glowed as it searched further and further trying to find a trace of the girl. He could sense more energies that he cared to count, but none of them were her. He knew her energy as well as he knew the energy of his dragon. It was calm in the way it surrounded her, licking at the air around it like a fresh and growing fire. But the heat from the fire was replaced with the cool feeling of a stream. It didn't demand your attention. It was a gentle breeze against his own heated skin.

The spirit beast that he had sat at his feet was showing more life in the last few hours of being in Demon world than she had for the last two weeks. Now the cat like creature was taking in the surrounding scenery of the place he called home. It's ears twitched back and forth, listening to the sound of the weak creatures below them. He even heard it give a quiet mew every once in a while.

That was a good sign. It meant that she was somewhere in Demon World. But with the vastness of this world, he needed to find out if any of his contacts had heard of this Seikatsu and where he was hidden. If he went searching blindly, it would take him years to find her. He didn't have that kind of time. He knew where he had to go first.

He growled, picking up the furry creature at his feet and blurred away from the branch, traveling further into the planes of Demon World.

* * *

><p>How long have I been here? I wasn't sure. All I knew were the images that flashed before me as I laid on the ground with my knees pulled up to my chest. I couldn't scream anymore. My throat was torn raw, the taste of blood ravaging my taste buds with any noise I tried to make. All I could do was shake. My body shook uncontrollably as the torture continued. I had no sense of where I was, where I ended and where I began.<p>

All I knew were the images. The blood. The pain. I didn't fight back anymore. I didn't fight the images before me. I just watched. It wasn't any use to try and close my eyes to the images. They were burned into my eyes, into the deepest regions of my brain. I had seen every person I loved, every person I called my friend, be torn limb from limb. I had held their organs in my hands. Felt their hearts beat in my hands for the final time. I felt their bones snap under my touch. I heard their screams in my ears, deafening me to everything but their pain. I watched as they tore my body apart, tearing away at my flesh. I watched them tear open my scars again. I felt them slice me open and saw my organs spill out to the ground.

Their laughter haunted me even in the times that I laid there in darkness. I was beyond tears. I couldn't muster up anything. My body had given up, as I just laid there and stared out in front of me, silently begging it to just stop.

I just wanted to go home.

My body started to shake again. I didn't know what caused it. Maybe it was shock, or dehydration or the fact I was becoming delirious. The darkness engulfed me like a suffocating blanket. I wrapped my arms over my head and tucked further into myself, trying to ease the shaking as it rattled through me. My muscles were stiff, my joints refused to fully extend. The shaking hurt. It seemed like something pathetic to be worried about, the fact that my muscles were sore. But it was the only thing I could ease. The only thing I had control over. I needed to control my body when I could before the images controlled my body again, making me kill and torture.

I would take death over this pain.

* * *

><p>"Where's Hiei?" Kuwabara asked.<p>

The team was sitting in the closed restaurant that Keiko's parents had handed down to the married couple to run. Kuwabara and Kurama sat at the stools at the bar top of the restaurant. Yusuke leaned against the counter top on the other side of the bar with his arms crossed.

"He disappeared late last night," Kurama answered, brushing his hair out of his face. "I believe he went to Demon World. He took Mi with him."

"Dammit!" Yusuke cursed, kicking his foot against the ground. "We should have gone with him! We've done enough sitting around! Keiko hasn't been the same since she was taken! I can't take it anymore!"

"There has to be something we can do," Kuwabara agreed solemnly.

"I agree," Kurama said, smoothly. "But there isn't anything we could do. If we went searching and Seikatsu saw us coming.." he trailed off. Kuwabara sighed while Yusuke scoffed clenching his jaw. If Seikatsu saw them coming there would be no telling what he would do to Daelyn. "It may be a long shot, but if anyone can find her, it would be Hiei and Mi."

All three men sat in silence deep in their own thoughts. Yet, each man shared one similar thought: they silently prayed that Hiei would find her, and bring her home.

* * *

><p>As Hiei walked through the halls of Mukuro's base, Mi sat perched around his shoulders, watching the demons he walked passed. He ignored the whispers as he passed, but sent a hard glare to any snickers he heard towards the spirit beast. He smirked when Mi even hissed at one demon for sneering at her. Perhaps the feline creature wasn't as defenseless as he thought.<p>

He walked through the familiar halls quickly, sensing Mukuro in her chambers. When he got to the door he didn't pause and simply pushed the door open. She stood facing him with her arms crossed.

"Hiei," she greeted. "Have you finally finished that assignment in Human World?" Her eye landed on the creature curled over his shoulders. "I didn't take you for one to keep such cute pets." The creature mewled at her statement, tail swishing back and forth. Hiei wasn't sure if it was thanking her for the "compliment" or if it was protesting to what the demon had said.

"The girl was taken," he scoffed. "The feline is her spirit beast."

"I see," she smirked. "Seem's she's taken a liking to you for the beast to be so comfortable with you protecting it here."

"She was taken by a demon named Seikatsu," he stated, ignoring her comment. "He's hiding somewhere in Demon World and my Jagan is unable to find where he's hidden her."

"So you've come to ask if I know of this demon," she answered, not needed to hear his question. He gave her no answer as she turned away from him. "I can't say I have," she said, her tone light causing him to scoff.

"He's an energy demon," he stated. He watched as she paused, turning her face to look at him over her shoulder with her good eye. "You've heard of him," he said, his tone dark. "I don't have time for your games. The girl is a full blooded energy demon now, directly because of him. We don't know what he wants with her or what he means to do when she's at her full power."

She didn't say anything for a few minutes, her eye narrowed in thought as she watched him. He clicked his tongue to his teeth and turned to leave. He didn't have time to deal with this.

"You care for this girl," she said, causing him to pause mid step. "I've heard of an energy demon who protects a city of outcasts," she continued. "He's reclusive. He doesn't venture out often. Only a handful of demons have met him. Perhaps one of them would know his location. Look for an earth demon named Hisao who lives in the caves north of here."

"Hn," he grunted, moving to leave once again.

"Hiei," she called to him. He stopped in the doorway, growling. "Should you find her, I would like to meet this girl that has captured the attention of you and your dragon."

"She's just an annoying burden," he snapped. He disappeared down the hallway.

* * *

><p>"Turn your back to them, Daelyn," Seikatsu taunted me. "Do you see the pain that they cause you? If you would just give up the hope that they'll come to save you, I would let you out of this room."<p>

I wanted to tell him to go fuck himself. I wanted to scream at him to leave me alone. But my voice was gone. My throat was on fire from my screams. Since I couldn't argue with him, I chose to ignore him, curling my knees in closer to me as I laid on the cold ground. I closed my eyes and covered my face with one of my arms.

He clicked his teeth at me, kneeling in front of me. He brushed his hand over my hair like he was trying to comfort me. I clenched my teeth at the sensation, but I had no strength to try and push him away. This was the third time that he had come to speak to me since he locked me in this room. Each time he tried to coax me into giving up, and to stop fighting. My body wanted to. My body urged me to give up, to beg for him to let me out of this room. But my mind wouldn't give in. I couldn't give in. If I gave in, that meant he won. He would have control over me. I wouldn't give him that satisfaction.

"In order to control your energy," he said, his voice sickeningly gently. "You have to break. You must become weak before you get stronger. Many energy demons die long before they realize their true potential because they can't control the energy that grows inside of them. It eats them from the inside out, growing at such a rapid rate that their bodies can't control. That's why we are the last of our species."

I wanted to scream at him that I wasn't one of his "species". I was human. No matter what my body was, I would always be human. I wouldn't be like him. I would never be like him. If what he said was going to happen, and my energy would kill me in it's growth, so be it. I would rather die.

He yanked me up from my position on the ground, and grabbed my chin to force me to look him in the eye. He used his other arm to pull me towards him, holding me tight to his body.

"Don't fight me, Daelyn," he whispered, his breath brushing over my face. "This will all stop when you stop fighting me." I clenched my teeth as one of his fingers started tracing circles along my jaw. He closed the space between us, pressing his lips deeply to mine. I dug my fingers into his chest, trying to push him away. I felt him smirk against my mouth as his hand grabbed the hair at the back of my head. He yanked my head to the side, causing a yelp to rise in my throat, bringing blood into my mouth as I flinched against the pain in my throat and scalp. His lips grazed along my throat and I felt his tongue trace shapes against my skin. I wanted to vomit. I wanted to slap him. I wanted to scream. Tears sprung to my eyes as I clenched them shut as his teeth nipped at my skin harshly.

I could feel the blood from his skin under my finger nails. I dug my nails in harder as he continued his assault on my neck. He moved away from my neck to capture my mouth with his once again, but before he could I spit the blood that had gathered in my mouth directly into his face.

Rage flashed through his eyes. He slapped me, sending me to the floor. Fresh blood from a slice in the inside of my cheek stained my mouth with it's metallic taste. He kicked me in the ribs, a sharp snap in my side blinding me in white searing pain.

"How barbaric of you," he stated, standing over me. He kicked me again, cracking even more of my ribs. My body shook as I glared up at him, refusing to give him the reaction he was looking for. He smirked. "Your fight just makes me want you more," he said. "There's a fire inside of you that burns stronger than I've seen in any demon. I'll relish in it's ashes when I put it out."

With another kick to my already bruised and broken ribs, I was alone. A silent sob wracked at my body, shooting more pain through my ribs. I didn't have anymore tears to let fall as I tried to fight back the sobs that jostled the fractures. But they came in full force, bringing more sobs caused by the pain. I opened my eyes and froze at the two new figures before me.

A blonde woman, and a black haired man. My mom and dad.

My mom rushed over to me and kneeled down on her knees next to me, her hazel eyes wide in worry.

"What happened, sweetie?" she asked me. "Are you okay?"

I shook my head and pursed my lips. I didn't shake my head in response to her question. I shook my head trying to tell myself this wasn't real. She wasn't here. She wasn't real. Her warm hand against my cool flesh was just an illusion.

"She brought this on herself," my dad's voice came. "She's always been like this. Stubborn. Always waiting for someone to come and pull her out of the consequences of her bad decisions."

I stared up at him, shocked at his words. _No, _I told myself. _This isn't real. They aren't real. They aren't here. _

"You're right," my mom sighed, standing and turning away from me. "No one can save her now."

I watched as they disappeared into the darkness. I flinched at the sound of screeching tires and the shrill of a car horn. A loud crash caused me to snap my eyes shut, willing myself not to look at the scene before me. The smell of gasoline and death surrounded me. I heard people screaming all around me and the deafening sound of sirens. I didn't want to open my eyes. Yet, for some reason my eyes fought against my mind willing them to stay shut.

My body shook in horror, their broken and bruised bodies laying only a few feet away. Familiar blue eyes stared back at me, frozen wide in shock in their death with no light behind them. My dad's head was bent in an unnatural way, twisted in a sickening angle. I watched with wide eyes as a trail of blood dripped slowly down his pale face. My mom's body was twisted, her lower body facing me, legs bent awkwardly. But her upper body was twisted completely around, her blonde hair soaked with fresh crimson blood.

My dad's lips started to move. I felt bile in my throat, burning at the raw flesh.

"This is all your fault," he whispered.

"I know," I whispered, ignoring the fire that it caused in my throat. "I know." I clenched my jaw, and let my eyes slide close as he continued to whisper accusations of fault towards me.

A new presence fluttered over my mind. I slowly slid my eyes open. I stared up to meet a coal colored gaze through my bleary vision.

* * *

><p>Hiei soon reached a trail through the forest to the caves. He paused to take in the seals on the trees warding away any demons with ill-intent. They weren't warning signs. They were seals written to make a barrier around the land of the demon called Hisao. With the feline tucked into one of his arms, he slowly reached a hand out to cross over into the barrier. He felt nothing.<p>

He blinked once and started forward, following the beaten trail through the thinning trees. The ground beneath his feet became rocky as he approached the caves. He came to a stop as he reached the edge of the tree line and stared up at the threatening mountains that loomed above him. He narrowed his eyes and looked down at the feline in his arms. She had gone stiff in his arms again, staring out into the distance, her eyes glazed over. He growled, blurring away to find the earth demon.

* * *

><p>"You're giving up the search?!" Yusuke shouted, his fist slamming down on Koenma's desk. "What the fuck?! Are you out of your mind?!"<p>

"I'm not giving up the search!" Koenma snapped, glaring at the dark haired man. "My father is forcing me to end the search. He says that since it's been two weeks since she disappeared and there's no sign of her and that we need to start taking other measures," he sighed, sitting back in his seat and rubbing his hands over his face. "We don't know what Seikatsu's end game is. We have to assume the worst that he's going to try and destroy the Human World. My father wants all of Spirit World's fighters to prepare for war. I'm inclined to agree with him," he held up a finger to Yusuke as he tried to protest, warning him to stay silent. "I know that Hiei took Mi and is searching for her. I'm also inclined to believe that he is our only chance at getting her back. After knowing Hiei over the course of the years, I know that he will not give up until he finds her. Let's just hope that he finds her soon."

Yusuke turned away from the ruler, a string of curses spilling out under his breath. He stormed out of the office, to give the news in Human World.

When he phased through the portal, the anger rolled over him like waves crashing against a shore in a hurricane. He stormed down the sidewalk with his hands jammed into his jacket pockets, earning wary stares from the strangers he passed. He paid them no mind as he brushed passed them. It had been a long time since he had been on this level of angry. He could almost see red as he made his way down the sidewalk.

Spirit World proved to be just as useless now as it had been so many years ago. He should have known that in the beginning. He couldn't say that he didn't at least halfway expect for Spirit World to call off the search. The thought crossed his mind to head to Demon World and help Hiei search for Daelyn, but he knew what Kurama said earlier was true. If Seikatsu sensed them coming, they had no idea what he would do to Daelyn. Hiei could find her with his Jagan long before Seikatsu could sense him.

As he turned the corner to the restaurant, he tried to push back his anger. He was going to need to explain to Kurama and Kuwabara what had happened in Spirit World. He couldn't do that if he was spitting mad. A messenger had come to the small restaurant, for some unknown reason to him it wasn't Botan, and requested for him to see Koenma in Spirit World. They made it very clear for it to be _just _him. Kuwabara had started to argue saying that they should all be able to go, but Kurama had hushed him, assuring the ginger haired man that Yusuke would be back and explain what Koenma had said and that there must be a reason for the ruler to only want to see him.

Now Yusuke could see why. The toddler didn't want to deal with three furious men who could easily destroy half of Spirit World before the bastard Enma could blink his stupid eyeballs.

He slammed the door open, ignoring the glass that shook in the door almost shattering. He flipped the lock shut then turned to the two men who stared at him. Kurama sat with his legs crossed, reading the expression on Yusuke's face, the red head's own face darkening. Kuwabara's expression was written with surprise as he watched the dark haired man apprehensively.

"Spirit World is calling off their search," Yusuke seethed through clenched teeth as he yanked his hand through his hair.

"What?!" Kuwabara exclaimed, jumping up out of his seat. "Why?!"

"Enma says that they need to start preparing for whatever Seikatsu has planned. They haven't found even a trace of Daelyn since she disappeared," he spat, his knuckles turning white in his pockets as he kicked his foot against the ground. "In a round about way, he think's it's pointless to keep looking."

"I thought it was part of his job to protect humans!" Kuwabara protested.

"It is," Kurama spoke up, his voice as dark as his expression. "But she's not human anymore. Spirit World stopped considering her as a human the moment she came back to life."

"And they don't care about demons," Yusuke continued. "Dammit!" he slammed his fist down on a table next to him, cracking the wood.

* * *

><p>Hiei reached the entrance to the cave that Hisao resided in. He could sense the energy deep in the cave. Mi had started to show a little life, shifting in his arms but still wasn't her normal self. The sun had started to set beyond the horizon as he made his way into the cave. It had taken him longer than he expected to reach the cave at the top of the mountain. The demon had made the path as treacherous as possible. It wouldn't have normally been difficult for him to navigate, but the creature in his arms made things difficult. At one point he had to tuck the creature into the leather jacket he wore in Human World, zipping the creature close to him. Perhaps the human clothes he had to wear in the other world weren't as useless as he had once thought.<p>

The path in the cave was lit by torches mounted to the stone walls, leading him deep into the cave. The entrance behind him was no longer visible, the only light coming from the low burning torches. As he traveled further, he could hear the sound of a male humming. It resonated off the walls echoing causing it to sound like multiple voices were humming on top of each other. He reached the end of the tunnel and glanced over the room.

Like the tunnel, the room was made of stone. It was in a haphazard circle shape. The center of the room held a fire with a small black cauldron hanging over it. Most of the walls were hidden behind book shelves filled with an unorganized mess of papers and books. He saw a bed to the left of him, and to the right was a table carved out of the stone of the cave. Besides the bed, all of the furniture was stone. Chairs, the table, a desk, counter tops.

His eyes fell on the hunched form of an elderly demon who came to stand next to the fire. The demon's dark skin was wrinkled, and he walked with a stone cane. His forest green hair was long, almost trailing on the floor even though it was braided down the length of the demon. The demon regarded him with deep blue eyes and a kind smile.

"Well, it has been too long since I had a visitor," he spoke. The demon's voice was kind, but it shook with his age.

"Mukuro told me of you," Hiei said, shifting Mi in his arms.

"Ah, yes. I know Mukuro well," he nodded. He smiled once again. "What brings a young demon to see such an old man?"

"I'm looking for a demon named Seikatsu." Hiei watched as the smile fell from the old mans face.

"And why would you be searching for such a twisted man?" he asked, a frown forming on his wrinkled face. "I didn't think one who could pass through my seals would be ask me of him."

"He took someone I was supposed to protect," Hiei said. "I'm trying to find her."

Realization dawned on the old mans face. "I see," he said. "Come. Sit." The old man limped to the stone table, his cane clicking against the stone floor. Hiei followed after a moment, sitting at the other side of the table. Mi jumped from his arms and onto the table. Her blue eyes studied the old man closely, scenting the air skeptically. She looked back at the fire demon, who gave her a small nod. The feline took the okay and walked over to the old man slowly, who smiled at the furry creature. "My," he said, reaching his wrinkled hand out for the cat to smell, her dragon like tail swishing curiously. "What a beautiful creature. A spirit beast?" he asked, glancing up to the fire demon, who gave a single nod. "She belongs to the girl you're looking for, I assume. She must have quite a beautiful soul to have such a beautiful spirit beast," he continued glancing up at the fire demon once again. "What is your name, son?"

Hiei didn't respond at first, watching Mi as the old man ran his fingers through her curling black fur. The two men sat in silence for a moment, the purrs from Mi filling the room.

"Hiei," he finally answered. The old man smiled.

"Well then, Hiei. Seikatsu," the old man said with a deep sigh. "Is an evil man. He came to me hundreds of years ago, thirsting for knowledge. He was kind then. A young demon looking to further his strength's. I was surprised to see an energy demon. Their numbers had been dwindling for the last course of a thousand years. He was eager to hear my stories and soak up the knowledge I provided him. He came to me many times with questions about the three worlds, each more and more complex. I'll admit I grew fond of the boy. But, as his power grew, the darkness in his soul grew. One of the last times I saw him I could sense the darkness was about to over take him. His thirst for knowledge had been overtaken by his thirst for power.

And power is what he achieved. Somehow, without training under an elder energy demon he was able to harness his power. I am over five thousand years old and do not know how he did this. I do know, that when he was able to harness his strength, he was not able to pass through my barriers. That was the last

I saw of him."

"Then you can't tell me where he is," Hiei stated, standing from the table and reaching for Mi. He needed to find someone who knew Seikatsu's whereabouts, not listen to an old mans stories.

"Sit down, son, I never said I did not know where he is," Hisao said gently. "You need to know what Seikatsu is and what he is capable of before you chase after him." Hiei clenched his teeth and reluctantly sat back down at the table. "Whatever Seikatsu did to master his power turned him into another being. I wish I had realized it sooner to stop him, but it was too late by the time I figured out what was happening.

I am an earth demon. The wind and trees carry words and tales to me. That is how I came across my knowledge. I have not left this mountain in many centuries, but word is still spread amongst the earth. Seikatsu is living as the king of a city. He rules over demons who have been turned away by their people. Demons who control elements other than what they are born to. He is seen as a kind leader, caring deeply for his people. It is all just a facade. He means to build his army, using these demons that have been hurt by their people and using that pain to control them, to rule all three worlds. But, he would not be able to do it on his own. This girl, is she powerful?"

"She will be," Hiei said after a moment. "She was born of human blood. She was killed. Seikatsu gave her some of each of his energies to bring her back to life."

"I see," he said, staring down at the table, eyebrows pulled together. "I'd assume correctly that she has transformed into an energy demon?" Hiei gave a single nod. "Has she developed any other powers?"

"All three psychic abilities. Her empathy developed long before her transformation. Her telepathy and telekinesis has yet to develop," he explained, crossing his arms. "But I can sense them trying to emerge."

"She will be powerful," the old man sighed. "His castle is a half days travel north east from here using your speed." The old man smiled when he saw Hiei's eyes narrow in suspicion. "The wind told me of your coming. Do not be suspicious of me, Hiei. I only wish to help you."

Hiei stood and gathered Mi into his arms who mewed and cuddled deep into the crook of his arm. He moved to leave the cave but paused as the old man called out to him.

"Don't be stupid, son. You have been traveling all day searching for that girl with your Jagan. You're tired." Hiei glared at the old man over his shoulder. "Should you face Seikatsu in your state you would not stand a chance. Take the night here and rest."

"She's been gone for two weeks, old man," Hiei snapped. "Why should I rest while she's in his clutches?"

"Because you are no good to her dead."

Hiei clenched his teeth and sneered. He knew the old man was right. It had been years since he had used his speed and his Jagan for such an extended period of time. His body was worn and needed rest.

"Fine," he growled, giving in after a few minutes.

"Good," the old man said. Hiei could hear the smile in his voice. "The stew I've been making for us is done. We will eat, and you can rest. I will rise you in the morning should you try to sleep passed dawn. Now come and sit."

Hiei made his way back to the table and sat heavily, irked that the old man was right about him needed rest. Mi left his arms once again, opting to lay out on the table, and he crossed his arms. It was then he noticed that the dragon was sitting silently under his skin. The dragon must have realized that the fire demon was doing all he could to find the girl, finally giving peace to his burned flesh hiding beneath the bandages.

Hiei watched as the old man struggled carrying three clay bowls to the cauldron. He scoffed and stood, making his way to the old man.

"Sit," he said simply, taking the bowls from him. The old man blinked in surprise and smiled, giving a single nod and limped over to the table. Filling the bowls with the stew, Hiei placed one in front of the old man, one for himself and gave the smaller bowl to Mi. He sat, watching Mi closely as she sniffed the contents of the bowl before turning away.

"Does she not eat?" Hisao asked.

"She's refused to eat since the girl was taken," Hiei answered, clicking his teeth.

"Now, child," Hisao said, leaning over to the feline. "You miss your master, don't you?" Mi gave a quiet mewl in response, her ears drooping. "Don't you think she's going to be upset that you haven't taken care of herself since she's been gone? She's going to be fussing over you instead of focusing on getting better herself. You wouldn't want that would you?" Hiei watched with a blank expression as the creatures ears twitched, staring up at the old man. She turned back to the bowl slowly, sniffed it once again, and started to eat. The man gave a proud smile. "Now," he said turning back to the fire demon. "I shared a story with you. It's your turn. Tell me about this girl."

* * *

><p>Hiei sat on the furs that the man had provided leaning against an empty space of wall. With one knee raised to rest his bandaged arm on, his other leg was stretched out in front of him. Mi curled up into his lap, the food in her belly long since lulling her to sleep. He could see the old man on the other side of the room, his back turned to the fire demon as his deep breaths signaled that he was also asleep.<p>

Hisao's words were keeping him from resting. They whispered through his mind, mocking him as he clenched his teeth. After asking so many questions about the girl that he didn't want to answer, but the old man wouldn't take silence for an answer, he had smiled at him and said "_You care for her._" He scoffed at what he said. The girl was just an assignment. Nothing more. He was simply searching for her now because that was the mission he had been given. He had failed once from not being able to keep her away from Seikatsu, and now he was working to fix that failure. There was nothing beyond that.

Yet, the burning at his flesh that the dragon had caused in it's rage told him other wise. He closed his eyes and forced those thoughts away. He forced himself to sleep.

* * *

><p>He awoke just before dawn. Hisao walked with him to the end of the tunnel, surprisingly able to keep up with Hiei's pace with his cane.<p>

"Before you leave," Hisao said, watching as Hiei tucked the sleeping spirit beast into his jacket. "Seikatsu's castle is located directly in the center between a river to the north and planes to the south. It is hidden in a forest. You also need to understand that Seikatsu may have done things to this girl that will have deeply disturbed her. She may not be the same girl that she was." Deep blue eyes stared up unwavering under his own harsh ruby stare. "Find her before that damage can not be undone."

Hiei gave a single nod, and blurred away.

* * *

><p>Mi was throwing a fit. She was trying to tug away from him yowling as he came to a stop. She clawed at his hands and he hissed in pain, dropping her. She scurried a few feet away from him as if she were searching for something, yowling madly as she scampered back and forth. Hiei had been traveling half the day just as Hisao had told him. He had already passed the planes, and from the highest trees in the forest he could see a river in the distance. He was in the middle of the forest.<p>

But he could not sense the girl. There was no castle, no demons, no energies around. They were completely alone in this forest. He cursed.

"She's not here," he told the creature, turning away to walk further into the woods.

"Mi!" she protested. He felt her grab the leg of his jeans. He looked down with a glare to see her trying to yank him back with her teeth as she stared up at him with pleading eyes.

"..Can you sense her?" he asked.

"Mi!"

After a moment he started to open his Jagan once again. A presence emerged behind him. In an instant he was turned and had his sword draw, ready to attack.

He felt the black flames from his dragon engulf him in rage as he took in the appearance of the demon that appeared behind him. Ashen hair, black eyes, pale skin. The demon raised his hands in surrender, eye-wide as he stared at the sword. Mi hissed loudly, a feral noise coming from her throat.

"You," he snarled, lunging forward. The demon stepped back, disappearing into the shadows before he could fully swing his sword down on him. He whipped around as the demon appeared behind him once again.

"W-wait!" he said, raising his hands further. "Please! Just listen to me!"

"Why should I?" Hiei growled, the blackened flames swirling in an uproar inside of him, the dragon burning his arm further, begging to be released.

"I can take you to her!"

"Why should I believe you?" he hissed, posing his sword for another attack. He wouldn't miss this time.

"Because you're standing right next to the city! There's a barrier here keeping you from seeing it!"

Hiei paused at that. His ruby eyes narrowed at the shadow demon. He watched the demon closely as a drop of sweat slid down the side of his face and watched as he swallowed, eyeing the sword with unease. This was the demon that had taken her to begin with. He started all of this. The dragon screamed for his blood to be spilled, to see it in his hands as the light left his eyes. But he held back. For now.

"Keep talking," he demanded.

"Seikatsu's castle is hidden by a powerful barrier," the demon explained quickly, jumping at his demand. "You can't sense it and you can't see it. Only those who are allowed to come and go can enter. I can get you inside."

"You're the reason she's there," Hiei snapped.

"I know," he said dejectedly. "I trusted Seikatsu. When I spoke to her for a few minutes something...didn't seem right. At first I though maybe you all had tricked her into thinking that you all were trying to help her. But I decided to try and investigate and I over heard Seikatsu talking to the commander of his army. He said that he was trying to break her mind. He was trying to make her hate you all so she would give into him and do as he said. He was angry that you all had disrupted his plan." The demon paused to sigh. "I went to see if I could break her out myself and bring her back to you all, to try and at least help fix the damage I had done. But she's been drugged with some kind of hallucinogenic. She needs an antidote. I can get the antidote from Seikatsu's potion maker and healer. But if I do, I won't have time to get to her and get her out. If I take you there, you can get her, and escape from the castle. I can meet you just outside the barrier and take you to the portal to Human World. That will give enough time for everyone to be focused on her missing. I can get the antidote while everyone is distracted and meet you in Human World."

Hiei let the demon's words mull over in his mind. He reached into the demons mind to search his memories with his Jagan. The dragon started to roar again when he saw the image of the girl curled up on the floor, blood covering her face. She was filthy, and her eyes were blank as they stared.

"Fine," Hiei hissed, sheathing his sword. "But, if you betray your word, I will kill you. Do you understand?"

* * *

><p>The plan was set. The shadow demon would transport them through the shadows into the castle, leaving Hiei in the hallway of the room the girl was in while the demon went to get the antidote. Once Hiei got the girl out of the castle he would escape to the Human World. Once the other demon got the antidote he would transport through the shadows back to the girls home.<p>

Hiei felt the girl's familiar energy the moment he stepped out of the shadows. He ran towards it, blurring by servants in the hallway, knocking some of them to the ground with disregard. Part of his side of the plan was to cause some chaos to draw attention away from the healer's room so the shadow demon could get the antidote. Hiei could get in and out faster because the other demon was going to have to search through all the antidotes that the healer had.

He stopped in front of the door that her energy was behind. He tried the handle and found it was locked. He didn't have time to try and pick the lock. Stepping back a few steps to get a running start, he slammed his shoulder into the door, knocking it down with a loud crash.

The room before him was completely black. His eyes darted around the room as he heard shouts behind him. His eyes landed on a form crumpled in the floor. Blue eyes stared up at him, flinching at the light that assaulted them after being in the darkness. He didn't have time to check her over. He rushed to her, lifted her to his chest and blurred out into the hallway, and out the first window he saw. The girl clutched his jacket tightly, as he landed in one of the trees in the courtyard of the castle. Mi, who had been tucked into his jacket, poked her head out and mewed at the girl quietly. He blurred away, jumping from tree to tree until he was outside of the court yard, carrying her further and further away from the castle and Seikatsu.

Once he got out of the barrier the shadow demon appeared. The demon, who he learned that his name was Tetsuya, grabbed his arm and pulled him into the shadows. They phased through quickly coming to the other side. They were just a few yard from the portal. Tetsuya gave Hiei a nod and disappeared back into the shadows to go and retrieve the antidote.

He blurred through the portal, phasing through to the other side. These woods were easier to maneuver through than the forests in Demon World. He jumped from branch to branch not pausing long enough to look down at the girl and Mi. When the branches started to thin, he took to the roof tops of homes and buildings soon coming to the white and blue home. He landed in the back yard and went over to her window. Without any effort, he entered her room and slid her down to stand her on her feet.

Her hands were still clutched onto his jacket with her face pressing into his chest. Mi crawled out of his jacket and onto the girls shoulders, purring loudly. He rested his hands on her upper arms and gently pushed her back. She slowly looked up at him her hands still fisted full of his shirt. Her hair was knotted and matted around her face, the curls sticking out and frizzing. He could feel when she was in his arms that she had lost weight. Her pale skin was dirtied with blood and grime, the blood around her mouth staining the lower part of her face. Blue eyes stared up at him, blearing in and out of focus. The arm that held the dragon and wrapped tightly in bandages, lifted up to trace some of the matted hair from her face as his Jagan reached out to the others. He said one thing.

_She's home._

* * *

><p>So, Hiei in a leather jacket, huh?;) Mmmm.<p>

Let me tell you all, this chapter was **brutal **to write. I felt like I was putting a jigsaw puzzle together. I wrote the beginning and the end first. Went through and wrote a little more towards the beginning, wrote something towards the end, wrote the middle part and then finished filling in the beginning and the end. I don't know why I did that. I just for some reason could not come up with filler in between the bigger parts. Needless to say, I'm sick of looking at this chapter haha.

Mi actually wasn't going to accompany Hiei to Demon World when I first started writing this chapter. I decided about halfway through that she needed to be there. I had an entire scene written with her and Keiko that was about 500 words that I just scrapped.

Lots and lots of Hiei this chapter. He's exhausting to write haha.

**Aly Goode**: I'm glad you enjoyed it! Last chapter is definitely more of my forte for writing. I love drama and action. Thank you so much! I'm so happy to hear that I'm portraying him well. He's a tough cookie to crack when it comes to trying to figure out how he would react to something. At times he's all silent and brooding, then at others he's sassy and talkative. Its like. Child. Stop it. Make my life easier and make up your damn mind. You won't have to wait long to see that dragon;) Hiei's a big softie underneath that tough guy act. Atleast, I'd like to think so haha. He does care in his own (strange) way. Big brothers have gotta look out for their little sisters, you know? Dae-dae is a trooper. Their reactions to Mi are going to come in later, so you can read them first hand!

**Pourquoibella**: I'm glad it doesn't bother you! But I have come across a few people who I've gotten PM's from in the past saying that I got a little too detailed for them. So I figured I would put a disclosure in, you know? And that luck was definitely needed with this chapter haha.

**XBloodMageRikaX**: He's a sneaky bastard isn't he? He makes my blood boil just writing him screen time haha. But he's needed for the plot unfortunately. There is a method to my madness as to why Hiei didn't hit him back. It'll come full circle soon.:) We'll get see the full extent of what's happened to her next chapter. Let's just say, Seikatsu is twisted.

**Heve-chan**: We all need a little fluff every now and then, you know? Nice warm fluff is always welcome for me haha. I do enjoy getting descriptive when the scene calls for it. But like I responded to Pourquoibella, I've gotten a few PM's in the past saying that sometimes I can be a little _too_ descriptive. So I put in the disclosure just in case. And you guessed correctly! It is all going on in her head. There will be more on that in the next chapter where we'll get to see it more vividly. I created Seikatsu in a way that he wasn't like every other recycled bad guy out there. I wanted him to stand out in peoples minds. Most antagonists I've noticed are just kind of like...how to I put this..background noise almost. Like, they're there simply to push things along when things start dragging. I wanted Seikatsu to be in the main area of the story. He's a main character. I wanted things to kind of circle around him. I'm glad I kept him in character! I read over this chapter so many times it's burned into my brain forever I think. I'm going to be dreaming about it when I go to sleep haha. Unfortunately, I've never really had luck with betas. They'll get too busy, or just fall off the face of the earth, which I totally understand. Life happens, you know? Hopefully, I got most of the typos!

**KK1372**: I'm happy you're enjoying it! Brainwashing is definitely what Seikatsu was trying to do. I touched briefly on what happened to Mi this chapter, but I'll get into more detail of it either next chapter or the chapter after. I like creating questions and letting them flesh out haha. I think it keeps things interesting:) I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as the others!

Thank you to everyone who favorite, followed and reviewed! It means so much to me. Like I said before, I'm a very response driven person haha. When I see that people are enjoying what I'm updating, it makes me want to update more and times like this where a chapter is getting published almost every other day happens. You all are what makes me want to write this story:)

So please, PM me or leave a review and let me know what you think!


	17. Chapter 17

"The turning point in the process of growing up is when you discover the core of strength within you that survives all hurt." -Max Lerner

Gravity

Chapter Seventeen

I was sitting on the counter top next to the sink in the bathroom. Hiei stood next to me, running a wash cloth under the running water from the faucet. I stared as the water slowly started to turn red and thick, staining his hands in crimson. Mi mewed in my arms, making me blink and the blood had turned back into water. I looked down at her and she stared back at me, her head tilted to the side. I ran my fingers through her fur, bringing her to a comforting purr.

Hiei came to stand in front of me. My knee's brushed against his jeans as he reached out to gently raise my face. I shivered as he slashed across my throat, the warm blood trickling down my neck and over my chest. Mi's purring got louder and she licked at my fingers, making my attention snap away from the blood. I felt the water soaking into my shirt as he used the warm wash cloth to wipe away the dried blood from my skin. His ruby eyes watched me closely, his face void of expression. I saw his eyes trail down my face, landing to the side of my neck. His expression darkened. His warm fingers traced across the tender flesh.

"What happened?" he asked, his tone plain, but his expression showed otherwise.

Without being able to answer him with my voice I stared up at him for a few moments, studying his face. His chilling ruby eyes, his high cheek bones, softly sun kissed skin. My eyes trailed lower to his lips that were pursed into a tight line as his jaw clenched. I traced the curve of his cupids bow and the slight curve of his lower lip. I slowly reached my hand out. He watched my hand closely, his jaw clenched. Before my fingers could reach their intended destination, Tetsuya stumbled out of a shadow in the hallway, landing in a heap on the floor. He cursed loudly, pushing himself up on his hands and knees, one hand gripping at his stomach. Blood seeped through his fingers. I could only blink. With a hiss the shadow demon pushed himself fully off the ground, snatching up the bag that had fallen to the ground.

"I grabbed some of all the antidotes that the healer had," he said through clenched teeth. "None of them were labeled beyond 'antidote'. The crone must have had all of them memorized."

Hiei cursed as he snatched the bag out of his hand. He opened the leather bag and I heard a clinking of glass as he searched through it. I watched Tetsuya as he tried to stop the bleeding from his abdomen with his hand as he watched Hiei search through the bag with a grimace. The blood seeped through his fingers, glistening in the light from the bathroom. He glanced up and saw me staring at him. He gave me a small smile. I looked back at his hand when he shifted, pressing his hand tighter to the wound.

"It's fine," he said, shaking his head. "I'll be fine." Hiei payed his words no mind as a loud series of pounds came at the front door. His jagan began to glow beneath the white cloth around his forehead. I watched as Tetsuya slowly started to slide down the wall on the opposite side of the hallway eye wide as Hiei's glare bore into him. "I would have sat if you asked me to," the demon grumbled as Hiei disappeared into the hall.

I felt Kurama, Kuwabara, and Yusuke's energy come into the house. I couldn't make out the quiet words exchanged between the four men. There were a few seconds of silence then Hiei and Kurama's energies started down the hallway towards me. Neither payed Tetsuya any mind as Kurama entered the bathroom before Hiei. He gave me a warm smile in greeting as moved over to me. Hiei stood in the doorway, leaned against one side of the frame, his arms crossed as he watched Kurama stand in front of me.

"We called your brother," Kurama said gently. "He has to stay and finish a surgery before he can leave. He said he will be home as soon as he's finished." He watched my face with his calculating stare. When he got no response from me, he nodded and sat the leather bag filled with glass down in the sink next to me. He started to pull out vials, studying each one closely for its color and consistency. I watched as blood started dripping from his nose and mouth. Each drip that fell from his face sent a small echo through the silent bathroom. He turned to me after a few moments. I stared at his neck that had been sawn in half, blood gushing down the other side of his body that hadn't been facing me. Red stained his teeth as his lips moved soundlessly.

I felt a sharp nip on my arm and I startled, looking down at the furry creature in my lap. I had forgotten that she was there. She mewled up at me, licking gently at the flesh that she had bitten into, apologizing for the pain she had caused me.

"Daelyn?" Kurama said gently. "Did you hear me?"

I looked up at him. There was no blood. His neck was intact. I shook my head slightly at his question.

"Did you eat something before you went into the room you were in?" He asked. I gave another slight shake of my head as I tangled my fingers into Mi's soft fur. She started purring, kneading her paws against my thigh. "Did you drink something?" I nodded once. I wanted to answer him vocally. But I couldn't find my voice. It was gone. My throat tried, but no sound would come, only pain and blood that I would have to spit out. "Did it have a color?"

My eyebrows drew together. It did, but didn't have a color. The fluid had been almost clear, but slightly tinted with white. I gave a very slow hesitant nod. Kurama picked through a few more vials, placing them back in the bag. Only a dozen vials were left sitting on the edge of the sink.

"Did it taste sweet?"

I shook my head with a grimace. It had tasted horrible. It tasted the way that stale throw up smelled. He put six more vials back into the bag.

"Was it a filmy white color?"

I nodded. I saw his jaw tighten at my response as he picked up one of the vials. He stood in front of me once again.

"Can you open your mouth for me?" he asked, with a smile. I slowly did as he asked and he tilted my head back gently to angle the light so he could see into my mouth. His fingers grabbed my lower jaw. I could feel the tight grip of his fingers as the taste of his blood came into my mouth from the cuts that my teeth left on the digits. His other hand gripped the top part of my mouth and with a dark chuckle he started to pull my jaw away from my head, tearing the flesh of my cheeks-

Claws dug into my thigh. I hissed in pain as Kurama uncorked the vial. Mi pressed her face into my stomach and rubbed her cheeks gently across my shirt. I scratched her behind the ears as Kurama spoke.

"Your throat is completely raw," he said, emerald eyes watching me closely. "This antidote is going to burn severely when you drink it. You must drink all of it. I'm afraid that if this poison stays in your system any longer it's going to cause permanent damage."

I took the vial from him and stared at the contents that it held. The fluid was an opaque white, resembling closely to milk even in fluidity. I held the vial to my mouth for a moment before tipping it back. The second it touched the back of my throat my body started to reject it. My already torn open painful flesh was screaming as the white substance burned. I couldn't swallow it. I started to lean over the sink to spit it out but Kurama put a hand over my mouth preventing me from doing so.

"I'm sorry, Daelyn," he said, shaking his head. "You must drink it." I shook my head, but his hand stayed firm against my mouth. I looked over to Hiei who watched with a hard expression. His bandaged arm was shaking. Tetsuya, who was still sitting against the wall was watching intently, his eyebrows drawn together in worry. My eyes fell back on Hiei begging him to help me. He simply shook his head. I slowly turned my gaze back to Kurama who gave me an apologetic smile. "Please, drink it. I know it burns. I wish there was something else I could give you, but this is the only antidote."

I squeezed my eyes shut and steeled myself to the pain. I turned off the part of my brain that was screaming at me to spit the fluid out and forced myself to swallow. I clenched my neck, tears springing forth and I hunched over when Kurama dropped his hand from my mouth. I felt Mi's rough tongue lick the tears that fell. After a few moments the burning passed and I was able to breathe again. Barely.

"Your breathing has been very shallow," Kurama noted. "Are your ribs hurt?" I have a weak nod. "May I see?" I nodded once again. Hiei grunted and moved. He slid the door shut, leaving just Kurama, Mi and I in the bathroom. I pursed my lips and started to pull the dirty white and red shirt over my head. I only made it halfway until it was just too painful for me to try and pull it off. Kurama pushed my hands away with care and pulled my shirt back down. He went searching under the sink for a moment, and pulled out a first aid kit. He flipped it open and pulled out a pair of medical scissors. He picked Mi up and sat her off to the side next to the bag of vials. I let him cut the shirt up the middle. I felt the scissors dig into my scars, opening the sensitive flesh. As he dug the sharp metal into my flesh, I felt it carve into my bone, sending a strange vibration through my rib cage.

Mi yowled and nipped at my fingers that I hadn't realized were clenched to the side of the sink. Kurama helped me stand on my feet. He helped me push the shirt off my shoulders and discarded it into the floor.

"I'm afraid that the certain poison you were given will take a few hours to ware off with the antidote," he said quietly, helping me to unravel the bandages that bound my chest. "You'll be able to discern reality and hallucinations as the antidote takes effect." I covered my exposed chest with my arms as he turned me to the side. He was enough of a gentleman to not take notice of the fact I was half naked, though a small blush still burned at my cheeks. I looked down as he kneeled to inspect the black and blue bruise. He traced his fingers over it, gently applying pressure and gauging my reaction. Without the bandages binding my ribs, I could hardly breathe. Pain stabbed into my lungs and muscle with every breath I took. "You have at least four broken ribs," he said, standing. "It would be unwise to bind them. Your demon energy will heal them in a few days time."

I kept my gaze lowered to the ground as he cracked open the door and said something to Hiei outside. A few minutes later, the door cracked open again and Kurama handed me a button up shirt and stepped out of the bathroom. I took in the appearance of the shirt. It was a plain black shirt, and twice my size. I slid into it with difficulty and with shaking figures fumbled with the buttons. After fastening the last button, I gently picked up Mi and pushed open the door. There was no one in the hallway. I could hear Yusuke's voices in an angry whisper demanding to know why Tetsuya was here. I was suddenly too tired to care.

With drooping shoulders, I carried Mi with me to my bedroom. I didn't bother closing the door behind me as I let me leap onto the bed. I pulled the shirt up enough to untie the red sash at my waist and kicked off the dirty white and red pants. I gently crawled into my bed, careful to not disturb my ribs and curled into the blankets. Mi snuggled into the crook of my legs. I closed my eyes snuggled down into the oversized shirt and fell asleep to the smell of wood smoke.

* * *

><p>I stirred awake as a weight came onto the bed. I slid my eyes open slowly when a hand came to run through my fingers. My vision started to clear as I looked up at David who smiled down at me.<p>

"I'm sorry I woke you," he said as I sat up. I shook my head brushing away his apology. "You've been asleep for about nine hours," he told me when my eyes fell on the darkness outside my window. "I got home about seven hours ago. I was going to let you sleep longer but I need to check your ribs and throat." He started to stand off the bed, but I grabbed his arm. He turned back to look at me and I wrapped my arms around his middle. He wrapped his own arms around my shoulders and squeezed just tight enough to not hurt my ribs. We sat there for a few minutes in silence with my face pressed into his chest and his resting on top of mine. "I'm so happy that you're home." I pulled away from him and he smiled down at me again. I gave him a small smile in return. "Now," he said, standing from the bed. "Let me see your throat."

I opened my mouth and tilted my head back. David went into doctor mode as he shined a small flashlight into my mouth. He gave me a few simple instructions to try and make a certain type of noise but no sound came. It only managed to agitate the raw skin. With a sigh he helped me from the bed and asked me to undo the first few buttons of the shirt I was wearing. I did as he asked and covered myself as he pushed it back to see my ribs. His fingers were a lot rougher than Kurama's had been. He used a lot more pressure trying to find any fractures. I clenched my jaw to keep from protesting and willing myself to stand still.

"You have six fractured ribs," he said standing and pulling my shirt back into place. "Your vocal chords are shredded, in a simplified explanation. It will heal in time but.." he paused pursing his lips. "I don't know if your voice will be the same. Or if it will come back." I lowered my gaze to the floor. He rested his hands on my shoulders. "Just don't try and speak for a while. We'll just hope for the best, okay?" I gave a small nod and he sighed. He turned to leave but paused at the door. "Everyone is waiting to see you. I'm sure they wouldn't be upset if you wanted to go back to sleep, but, you do need to eat something." I held up two fingers signaling for him to give me two minutes.

He left, shutting the door behind him. I took a moment to look over my room. Everything was the same as the day I was taken. Mi's toys scattered about, clothes on the floor, the bed was unmade when I laid down to sleep before. I went to my closet to grab underwear and a pair of shorts. I didn't want to bother trying to pull any thing over my head with my ribs.

So I wasn't going to be able to talk for a while. That wasn't so bad, I guess. I mean, I was supposed to be a telepath. I had been able to use it once with Yusuke. I hadn't tried again. Maybe this would be the perfect time to try to practice it. Hiei was a telepath. I could probably convince him to help me to learn how to use it freely.

With a sigh, I raked my finger through my hair and grabbed a hair tie off of my desk. I pulled the curly mess over my shoulder and braided it, tying it off with the hair tie and slowly made my way out of my room. When I reached the living room, I was taken aback. David wasn't kidding when he said _everyone_ was waiting to see me. Yusuke and Keiko were sitting on the couch talking amongst themselves, Keiko's face pursed in irritation as Yusuke was smiling sheepishly. Kuwabara was saying something to Yukina that brought a blush to her face as she giggled. Botan was talking animatedly with Koenma, Genkai and Kurama. I could hear David and Shizuru in the kitchen, which made me smile. Hiei was leaning against the window sill away from everyone, Mi purring happily across his shoulders. The scene before me made my heart clench. These people cared about me. I was forced into this world, scared and confused. They had accepted me with open arms, doing their best to explain to me what was happening to me, and about this new world I had been shoved into. I had spent how ever many days it had been scared and alone. Now because of their efforts I was home and I was safe. I was with my family.

That's what these people were. They were family before I came along. But they accepted me as one of their own, happy to let me and David into their little family. It had been stupid of me to fear them, thinking that they were going to kill or hurt me. They were almost as confused as I was about what had happened to me.

Tears that I hadn't realized were pooling in my eyes started to spill down my cheeks. I tried to rub them away before anyone saw me, but the movement drew attention to me. Keiko jumped up, reacting before anyone else.

"Are you okay?" she asked gently, drawing me into a gentle hug. David and Shizuru emerged from the kitchen, alarm written on David's face. I nodded at her question and returned her hug as tightly as I could without disturbing my ribs. It was silly of me to be crying over this. My emotions were frayed and raw. I pulled away and smiled up at her to show her that I was okay and she gave me a reluctant smile back. "Welcome home," she said gently.

That brought another wave of tears on and I playfully pushed her hands away as I tried to sheepishly hide my tears.

"Aw, it isn't anything to be embarrassed about," Yusuke said, throwing his arm around my shoulders with a shit-eating grin. "I mean, not that _I _would be crying over. It is kinda girly though." I jabbed him in the ribs with my fingers and he yelped. He jumped away rubbing his side with a "wounded" expression.

"Don't make fun of her!" Keiko, Botan and Kuwabara exclaimed at the same time. I ducked around them, wiping the rest of the wetness from my eyes as the three continued to scold him and he tried to protest, bringing on a further onslaught.

Mi left her position from Hiei's shoulders and ran over to me, leaping up into my arms. I caught her and snuggled my face into her fur drawing a satisfactory mew from her as she kneaded into my shoulder. I felt her nibble on my hair happily.

"Daelyn," David said, drawing my attention. "Come eat something. You can finish greeting everyone afterwards."

* * *

><p>Hiei watched as David pulled the girl into the dinning room, towing with her the furry creature that had been perched stubbornly on his shoulders for the last four hours. No matter how many times he removed the irksome creature from himself, it found a way back, earning one too many snickers from the group.<p>

"She seems like she's okay," Keiko said quietly.

"Yeah, I mean it seemed like she was just relieved to be home. Even I felt relieved.." Kuwabara mumbled.

"All of us did, idiot!" Yusuke scowled.

"Shut up, Urameshi! It was different!"

Hiei tuned the idiots out as they bickered. If they were too stupid to realize it was the girls' empathy growing without her being able to control it then he wasn't going to correct them. Her emotions were beginning to effect those around her that were more susceptible to psychic abilities. Kuwabara's mental barriers were so pathetic one couldn't even laugh at them. The ex-detectives wife was also more effected by it than the others in the room. He hadn't bothered with trying to find out if her brother was being effected. One could say that he was holding a grudge against the man, but he wouldn't admit that.

"Isn't it strange," the fox said, coming to stand next to him. "That her spirit beast is so attached to you," he continued, his tone pondering. "So much, that she is the only one that can pull Mi away from you." Hiei turned his ruby glare to the fox. The dragon curled under his skin at his statement. "Puu was the same way with Keiko before Yusuke's energy grew."

"What's your point, fox?" he snapped, his voice low to not draw attention from the snooping eyes and ears of the others.

"How is your dragon, Hiei?" he asked, averting the question. "I know that it was giving you a multitude of problems while Daelyn was missing." Emerald eyes shifted over to the fire demon. "Perhaps Mi can sense your dragons' attraction to Daelyn."

Hiei opened his mouth to snap at the fox when something shifted in the room. The spiritually aware in the room all stiffened. His eyes snapped over to the door that lead to the dinning room and kitchen. Before anyone could react, he was standing in the doorway.

The girl was sitting at the table, a bowl floating in front of her. Her hands were held in front of her, eyes wide but glazed over and unseeing. Her lips were moving silently. Mi was yowling, nipping at different areas of her skin, drawing blood. Her little body twisted around and she yowled at the fire demon, almost seeming to beg him to help.

_Blood. _Her lips read. _All my fault. So much blood. So much blood. _

He appeared at her side as more items around the room began to float. Her body started to glow a lilac color as he grabbed her shoulders roughly to make her stand and face him. He ignored the commotion in the other room gathering in the doorway as he tried to shake her to draw her out of her trance. Mi was yowling even louder as even more items in the room began to float. The table next to them was floating six inches off the ground and slowly getting higher. He shook her once more.

"Woman!" he growled at her, but got no response. He heard David protest behind him, but someone held him back. With another growl, Hiei quickly yanked off the cloth covering his Jagan. He used the third eye to dive deep into her mind to find her consciousness. He grit his teeth as he had to dive further and further. Her mind was in a delicate state and the longer he was in her mind the higher chance there would be that he would cause permanent damage.

He closed his eyes with clenched teeth and let the world fade around him as he traveled further into her mind. Soon, he was standing in total blackness. His eyes darted around trying to find any signs of the girl. He could sense her conscious, she was near, he just couldn't see her.

"Hiei." He twisted around to see her standing there, her eyes wide in surprise. "What's going on?"

"You need to wake up," he stated, closing the space between them. "Now."

"I don't know how."

He growled and grabbed her by the arm. He didn't have time to walk her through this. Keeping his grip tight on her arm he started pulling out of her mind, bringing her conscious with him. He felt her mind resisting, but he kept his grip firm and soon the room around them began to appear again. The sound of Mi yowling was the first sense to come back. When he opened his eyes, her own eyes began to clear. She blinked up at him, confusion etched deeply on her face. The lilac aura around her was still glowing brightly.

She looked passed him and her body stiffened. Her eyes flittered across the room, the furniture and miscellaneous items still suspended in the air.

"Relax," he told her. She swallowed and looked back to him.

"_...Hiei?" _came reluctantly in his mind, making him hide his surprise in a blink.

"I can hear you," he told her.

"_Am I doing this?"_

"Yes." came his simple response.

"_How do I stop?"_

"I told you, woman. Relax."

"_I can't, Hiei. I'm scared," _she said, tears beginning to cause her blue eyes to swim. His dragon began churning in his skin. _"There's blood everywhere. I'm scared. I did this. I did all of this."_

He could feel holes being burned into his back from the others. He growled and reached just far enough into her mind to speak to her there.

"_There is no blood," _he told her. _"It's a hallucination."_

"_It looks so real," _she said quietly. _"I'm scared."_

"_Woman," _he growled. _"There's nothing to be afraid of. I won't let anything else happen to you." _He watched as she swallowed, her eyes flittering around the room again. _"Relax." _With his final word her stiffened body began to loosen under his hands. The glowing aura began to fade. She flinched as things started to crash around them, causing many items to shatter on impact. Guilt was written heavily on her face as David finally pushed passed whoever was holding him back. Hiei stepped back as the man approached.

Hiei made to leave the room as everyone rushed passed to the girl's side, who was currently apologizing tearfully about breaking things. The fox made to pause as the fire demon walked by.

"Going that deep into her mind is going to have consequences," the red head said in a low voice. "She will be able to sense your dragon now."

Hiei's eyes slid over to the fox in a glare who he was almost eye level to.

"Hn."

* * *

><p>I didn't want to listen anymore. I just wanted to go to sleep. Koenma was going on and on and on about energies and how mine was going to continue to grow rapidly, constantly replacing what I was using should I learn any energy attacks. Things Seikatsu had already told me a million times. I appreciated the gesture, I really did. But my god, I just wanted to go to sleep. I was barely able to keep my eyes open as he spoke.<p>

I zoned out as he continued to talk, mostly to the others than me. I had been sitting at the table eating the noodles that David had made for me. The broth had turned to blood in the millisecond of a blink. The noodles turned to intestine. Before I could drag myself out of the hallucination, screams started sounding around me, and I looked up in horror to see the bodies of all of my friends strewn around carelessly.

I was too far gone in the hallucination to pull myself out. Hiei had to pull me out of it. I had bite marks from Mi who had been trying her hardest to help me. She was currently sitting in my lap, dozing with her eyes almost fully closed. When Hiei had pulled me out of my own head it was...strange. I had felt a warm heat wrap around me, the want pulling at my skin. The want for what, I wasn't sure. But when Hiei had left the room that warmth left. I hadn't seen him since. I could feel his presence near by, but..it had changed. There was a new energy wrapping with his own, melding almost seamlessly into one. Though it was at times difficult to tell the difference, this new energy was darker. Not an evil darkness, but a flame much like his own energy that burned darker. It was more primal. Feral. Though Hiei's energy burned nothing like a controlled fire, it was a simple camp fire next to this new energy. And the new energy burned with want.

"Daelyn?" Koenma asked, snapping me out of my daze. "Did you hear what I said?" I shook my head with a blush. "You need to go through training," he sighed at my answer. "I've been in contact with a psychic a few hours away from here who is..sensitive to your predicament. He's willing to take you in as a student. Is that something you would be willing to go along with?" I nodded eagerly. I had been meaning to talk to Koenma all this time, but he had been searching for someone to teach me all along. I was finally going to learn how to protect myse-

I paused and looked over at David. Realization washed over me. This teacher was a few hours away. That meant I was going to have to leave. And David was going to stay here. He smiled at me sullenly.

"I know," he said. "He already explained this to all of us before you woke up." I felt my shoulders fall, completely crestfallen.

"Now this current development..complicates things," Koenma said, drawing our attention back to him. "I was going to give you a week to settle back into things, but.." he trailed off. I clenched my jaw. "I can only give you two days now."

I pursed my lips and lowered my eyes. Because I hadn't been able to pull myself out of a stupid hallucination my time with David was getting cut short. This was all my fault. I was too weak. Each time Hiei has had to come to my rescue. I was absolutely useless. Even though I apparently had this great power within me, I still couldn't stop a stupid hallucination and caused all of this. Now in a sea of broken glass and dishes I was just going to up and leave my brother for who knows how long _again _to train under some teacher that I honestly didn't know could help me. If anything Seikatsu said was true, there was nothing this psychic could do to help me. It was only a matter of time before I died from my energy, unless I gave myself up to Seikatsu. That was not an option.

I stood in the middle of Koenma saying something, bowed in apology and disappeared out of the living room and down the hall to my bed room. I could hear the jingle of Mi's collar behind me. Letting her trail in after me, I closed my bedroom door. I could feel the shift in emotions in the other room but I pushed them to the back of my mind.

With a sigh I sat on my bed and gently stretched out to lay down, being careful to not jostle my ribs. Mi jumped on the bed. She made her way over to my head and laid down in the curve of my shoulder. Her paws kneaded into the borrowed shirt as she laid her head down to sleep.

Though I was exhausted, my mind wouldn't turn off. It just kept turning over and running away with every thought that crossed even briefly over my mind. I laid there in the light of my lamp next to my bed for a long enough time that I heard everyone leaving. I smirked when I realized that the lingering unfamiliar energy I felt was Shizuru. She only stayed for about half an hour afterwards and left, leaving the only energies near by, David and Hiei. I listened as David went through his nightly routine. Drinking chamomile tea, sweetened with just a few drops of honey. After his tea he went to the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth. Then he would traverse to his bedroom where he would read for exactly an hour. When that hour was up, I heard the click of his light.

Surprisingly, sleep came over him quickly. Normally I could hear him tossing and turning for hours on some nights as sleep avoided his stressed and exhausted mind. I was happy he was getting to sleep easier than I was. The time ticked by slowly. Soon after I could hear David's deep breathing I couldn't handle the quiet anymore.

Tentatively, I reached my mind out towards Hiei's energy like I had earlier tonight. When I felt my mind brush his a warm tingling sensation vibrated down my body, causing me to shudder, though it wasn't a bad reaction. It was..I blushed and pushed those thoughts away quickly.

"_Hiei?" _I said quietly, incase he was asleep.

"_What do you want, woman?" _he asked, his words harsh, but his tone calm.

"_Can you come talk to me?" _I asked. I realized then how stupid my question was and who I was asking. I was asking _Hiei _of all people to come and _talk to me_ because I couldn't sleep. _"Ah, nevermind," _I said. _"I'm just being dumb."_

Only Hiei would be able to scoff in his mind. _"Go to sleep," _he told me. His mind still stayed with mine, the tingling brushing through my muscles and bones, the warmth wrapping around me.

"_Your energy is different," _I said suddenly, as the warmth started to soothe me to sleep. _"It's..it's like it mixed with a different being, but at the same time it's still you. The energy is really warm to me. Like it's going to burn me, but it never does. The feeling coming from it is like a want. But I can't figure out what-" _I was cut off by the feeling of that want washing over me in a tidal wave threatening to swallow me whole. The heat it gave off almost brought a sweat to my skin, the feeling of want melting together with...lust.

I tore my mind away from him quickly causing me to flinch. The feeling of the energy left me as my mind snapped into my own head. A blush burned brightly at my cheeks as I rolled over and buried my face into Mi's fur.

I refused to roll over and look out my window where I was certain he was outside of in the tree. The feelings were a fading memory in my mind except for one that lingered just a little longer than the others. And it was making me warm in the pit of my stomach with the smell of wood smoke from the shirt I was wearing making it worse.

* * *

><p>Poor little Dae-dae and her confused little feelings.<p>

I'm so sorry this one is so short. I honestly haven't been feeling great these last few days and I just wanted to get this chapter done and published. Not as action packed as the last two chapters, mostly just filler and plot, _buuut_ we get to see the feelings for these two get even more confused and complicated.

Like I said before, this isn't going to be one of those fic's that they fall madly in love in just a few chapters. I do enjoy dragging these things out and I'm enjoying the idea of falling into lust before falling into love. I mean, come on. It's Hiei we're talking about.

**XBloodMageRikaX**: He's definitely a character isn't he? I always want to just erase his scenes when I'm writing them and just go "No. Go away. No one likes you." But unfortunately, we need him for the plot to go on so. Sigh. I guess we'll just have to deal with him. I'm glad you liked it:)

**KK1372**: Thank you! I love putting characters through turmoil haha. It makes things so much more interesting when you're sitting here reading and going "JUST KISS HER. MAKE A MOVE. DO SOMETHING. DON'T BE STUPID."Maybe I'm just a cruel author haha. It's definitely going to be interesting when Mukuro finds out about his feelings beyond her little hunch. And you're very welcome! I love talking with you all so if there's any questions you may have, don't be shy. I'll answer them to the best of my abilities without giving any spoilers:)

Thank you for the favorites, follows and reviews! Please leave me a PM or a review and let me know what you think!


	18. Chapter 18

"To achieve anything in this game, you must be prepared to dabble on the boundary of disaster." -Stirling Moss

Gravity

Chapter Eighteen

Have you ever tried to dress with broken ribs? If you haven't, let me tell you. It's stupidly difficult. There's a lot of things that broken ribs keep you from doing with ease. Dressing, for one. Showering and trying to wash your beast of a creature one would call hair. Sleeping, for another. It's especially annoying when you've been over come with these foreign feelings of lust and want.

I rubbed my face pushing those thoughts away. I could sense Hiei's energy near by, but I refused to let my mind get anywhere close to it. With my robe tied tightly around me, I looked over the few contents in my closet. I was going to have to do laundry before I left. I held back a grumble. I hated doing laundry. That's why all of my stuff was thrown out on the floor. I just didn't want to wash all of it.

I finally decided that it would be easiest for me to pull on a dress than a shirt. A dress I could step into and pull up over me. I yanked one off the hanger and a pair of underwear. I paused before grabbing a bra. Was I going to be able to put it on? I sighed and grabbed one. I may not have been graced with my mothers chest, but I still hated going through my day without one. It felt like everyone just _knew._ Now, once I got home that was free game. I blushed as I felt that all too familiar warmth tickle across my skin. I pushed those feelings away to the deepest depths of my mind and set to work trying to dress.

The bra was difficult to get on. But once it was on, it was almost as if it was helping ease the pain in my ribs. I smiled triumphantly. I slipped the dress on. My grin soon fell to a frown. The dress was one of my favorites. It was navy blue with a small cut out in the lower back. It was simple, but it was comfortable. But I realized that the front of it cut down too low and my scars were able to be seen. The salve that Kurama had given me had done a lot for them. They weren't raised and puffy. But they were still a pale pink color against my skin.

A knock came at my door and I looked up. David started to slowly push the door open. Mi ran in passed his feet mewling at me as she wrapped herself around my legs.

"If your not decent make a loud noise," he said and paused waiting for another moment. When I didn't make any noise he opened the door fully. "You look pretty," he said with a smile. I touched my ribs to tell him it was because my ribs hurt. He nodded in understanding. "Well, I'm going to be going grocery shopping. I'm making you come with me." I furrowed my eyebrows in question. "Because," he drew out. "I would like to spend time with my little sister before she leaves."

I could feel that he was lying. The deceit tasted bitter on my tongue. I narrowed my eyes at him, but he was already turning to leave the room. I could feel the irritation coming from Hiei's burning energy. I pursed my lips. Had something happened while I was gone? I was going to have to get David to tell me. Mi mewled at me and I picked her up. Her paws came to rest on my face and my mind was flooded with images. It was the night I disappeared. David had just gotten home. He was angry. My eyes widened in horror as I saw him square off with Hiei, pull his fist back and land a punch on his jaw. Mi dropped her paws to my shoulder as she mewed.

_Oh my god, _I groaned.

Using the towel that I had discarded on the chair at my desk I started to squeeze the rest of the water out of my hair. Deciding that damp was well enough, I pulled it over my shoulder and braided it in it's usual style. I gave another look at the scars on my chest. _Whatever, _I grunted in my head. I didn't want to bother changing. The scars were going to be here no matter what I did. I might as well get used to them.

I treaded out of my bedroom and into the living room where David was gathering his wallet and keys. I grabbed my bag that Keiko must have brought over while I was gone. I peered inside at its contents. My own set of keys, a dead phone, a few pens. I paused for a moment thinking. I ran back to my room and over to my desk. I slid open the bottom drawer and pushed away the papers I used to hide my old journals. I froze when I looked down at the old things. One was missing. I blinked, trying to think if I had recently moved one.

"Daelyn?" David called. "Are you ready?"

Silently cursing I grabbed a hand sized spiral notebook that was pretty much empty. I tucked it into my bag, placed the papers back over the journals and ran back to the living room. I slid my shoes on, signaling I was ready to go. I followed him out of the door. Mi had run out through the door before I had closed it. She ran to the edge of the porch where a familiar figure stood leaning against the railing. I swallowed the lump in my throat as she jumped up into Hiei's arms. His eyes slowly lifted and met my gaze. I felt a blush rise to my face and burned at my ears. I rushed after David.

Once in the car I looked back to the porch but Hiei and Mi were already gone. I gave a quiet sigh and buckled my seat belt and tried to reach my mind out to David as he buckled his own seat belt. My eyebrows furrowed when I couldn't connect with his mind. I didn't even feel my own mind trying to reach out to his. It just started to give me a head ache.

Why wasn't I able to do it? I was able to do it last night. Why couldn't I do it now? Suddenly very confused, I reached into my bag to pull out my notebook that I was carrying with me. Originally I had grabbed it incase I needed to talk to someone who I couldn't speak to with my mind, but now it was my only way to communicate with anyone. I scribbled something onto the paper with one of the pens in my bag.

I held the book up for David to read as he was backing out of the driveway. He paused, his eyes reading over the English words. If Hiei was in mine or David's mind, I didn't want him to know what we were talking about.

_Why did you punch Hiei?_ I had written. His face darkened as he put the car into drive. I stared at him pointedly as he tried to ignore me. His eyes slid over to me to see if I was still looking at him. He rolled his eyes when he saw me still staring, waiting impatiently for his answer.

"_Because he deserved it,_" he said in English. "_He let you get captured. He's the reason your having all of these problems._"

I stared at him exasperatedly. I wrote quickly in my book and showed him while he was stopped at a stop sign.

_It isn't his fault. There was nothing he could have done. He saved me._

"_He wouldn't have had to save you if he would have done what he was supposed to do and protected you,_" he scoffed rolling his eyes.

I wanted to kick him. And I would have if we weren't in a moving vehicle, trust me. I settled for glaring at him while he ignored me. I glared at him all the way to the store. The glare continued as we got out of the car and I followed behind him as he walked briskly into the store. He continued to ignore me as I followed him through the aisles. I started to follow him down another aisle to continue my assault with glares but a boy who looked to be around my age stepped out in front of me. I blinked as he looked up at me from his shoes and he blushed.

"U-um. Hi," he stuttered. "I-I'm sorry to um. Bother you." I blinked again as he bowed. "My name is Kenichi." I reached into my bag slowly, unsure of what this boy was doing. I pulled out my notebook and a pen. I scribbled a few kenji's down on the paper. I held it out for him to read.

_Hello Kenichi. My name is Daelyn. I'm sorry, I've lost my voice._

He read it quickly and nodded with a smile.

"Well, I just um. I saw you walking through the store and um. Well, I was wondering if you'd like to go see a movie with me," he said, his words speed up to jumble together at the end.

I felt my eyebrows draw together as he looked back down at his feet with a blush. I replayed what he said in my head. I blinked in realization. Oh. _Oh._ Somewhere outside the store I felt Hiei's energy rise in irritation. The darker part of his energy raged louder than his own irritation. I fumbled with my pen as a blush started to rise on my cheeks. I glanced up during my writing to see him watching me closely. He wasn't that bad looking. He wasn't overly tall, probably only a few inches taller than me. He had black hair that was just a little shaggy, not quite long enough to hang in his dark chocolate brown eyes. His energy told me he was one hundred percent human with no spiritual awareness.

I held the note book out for him to read and I watched as his shoulders fell as he read.

_Thank you for your invitation. I'm sorry, but I have to decline. I'm leaving town in the next few days and I won't be back for a long time. _

I felt Hiei's energy back off a bit, the darker energy rumbling in satisfaction, which confused the hell out of me.

"You have a boyfriend, don't you?" the boy in front of me demanded. "You could have just said that." I shook my head at his words, taken back by his accusation. The idea of me having a boyfriend would have made me laugh, because I was going to die alone as a crazy cat lady, but the anger that boiled off of him made me step back. "Please, let me take you on a date and I'll treat you better than him!" I shook my head again and looked around for David. I then realized that we were alone in the aisle. Sure, I was a demon, but I couldn't exactly protect myself from an average human in the middle of a public place. Not that I could protect myself in solitude either. I looked back to the boy to see his face twisted in anger and determination.

Before I could back away and escape from the boy a familiar burning energy appeared behind me. It was only a few inches away, bringing a warm flush to my bare skin. I looked up to see Hiei towering over me, his eyes fixated in a glare at the boy. I looked back at the boy to see his face written with surprise.

"T-that's your boyfriend?" he said, stuttering once again. I started to shake my head, but I heard a growl rumble from Hiei's chest. The boy scurried away, almost leaving a trail of dust behind him. I gave a silent sigh in relief and turned to face the demon.

He glared at the place the boy had been standing for a few beats longer before letting his gaze fall down to me. I smiled up at him in thanks. Then a blush worked it's way up in my face when I realized that he just played the part of my intimidating boyfriend.

"Don't be stupid," he scoffed, turning to leave. Mi watched me over his shoulder her ears twitching happily. I gave a silent giggle at the sight. An intimidating demon, dressed in a black t-shirt and dark washed jeans, who's glare could melt you into the ground carrying a cute fluffy, dragon tailed cat who was kneading into his shoulder. "Go find your brother," he growled. I scampered away from him. The darker energy was reaching out for me, urging me back towards him with promises of- Nope. I pushed those feelings away and all but ran away from the demon, because I was not above running away from my problems.

I pin pointed David's energy in the store and followed after it, almost slamming into his back when I turned a corner. He looked at me over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow at my flushed face. I breathed a silent sigh of relief for a moment. Then I went back to my original mission. Glare David into submission.

"Oh my god," he said, his tone beyond annoyed. "Will you stop looking at me like that?"

I flipped open my notebook that had been forgotten in my hands.

_Not until you agree to apologize._

"Nope," he said, his lips popping when he read the words. I quirked an eyebrow at him through my glare.

I started to write please, but I quickly scribbled it out. I was not going to beg him to apologize for his mistake.

_Would you at least be decent to him? And thank him for saving me?_ I smiled as he grit his teeth at my written words. If he wasn't going to apologize then I was going to find a way to work around it. I scribbled in the notebook again. _I mean, he didn't have to come and save me, David. With me leaving for however long, I would feel really guilty for him being able to come with me and you staying here since you hate him so much._

"I don't hate him," he scoffed. I pouted my lips and blinked up at him with wide eyes, causing him to roll his own blue eyes. "Fine," he hissed. "I'll play nice with him." I smiled brightly up at him and all but skipped away to go and gather the things that I needed to take with me when I left. I traversed into the hair care aisle and loaded my arms with extra shampoo and conditioner. I grabbed another pack of hair ties because those things disappear like candy on Halloween. I wandered down another aisle and paused staring at the pastel colored boxes.

Do demon women have periods?

I quickly counted the days in my head. I had been a demon for... I wasn't sure. I still didn't even know how long I was missing. I knew it was long enough for the weather to start to warm up enough that I could wear a light dress and be comfortable, but not long enough for it to be considered hot. I decided it was better to be safe than sorry and grabbed a few boxes. I would have to ask about all this stuff. If it turned out I didn't need the feminine products I would give them to Keiko. She would appreciate the gesture.

With those items in tow I went and found David once again and loaded the basket with my things. I disappeared once again and headed for the clothing department. I had sports bras, but some of them were old and falling apart. I grabbed a few in my size off the racks and grabbed a few more tank tops in a variation of colors. I headed back for David deciding that all of this would just have to get me by for now. If I needed more I would just have to figure something out. After leaving the store and loading everything into the car, we headed for home in a comfortable silence.

Once at home I set to work washing the clothes that I was taking with me. It was almost surreal to walk through the house that was so normal. I was packing clothes to leave to a place with a psychic to teach me how to use my powers after transforming into a demon. The pictures on the wall were filled with younger days of laughter and smiles. It was so.._normal._ While I was gone, David would continue on with his days of going to work, paying bills, watching the night time news. The world would keep on it's normal routine while I was off training my powers.

As I started to pack away clothes and other items I felt a lump build in my throat. I was almost jealous of it. But, at the same time I was grateful to be away from the monotonicity of it. I was now apart of a world that was people only dreamed about.

And no matter how sad, or relieved about it I was, it still kind of scared me.

* * *

><p>"Well, that's pretty remarkable if I do say so my self," David said, after clicking off the small flashlight in his hand. "Your vocal chords look like they're healed." I blinked and reached a hand up to my neck. "Try saying something."<p>

"Something," I said. A slow grin spread on my face. "I can talk!"

"Don't over do it!" David scolded. "Even though it looks like it's fully healed it would make me feel better if you weren't yelling or shouting for the next few weeks."

"Okay," I nodded and grinned again.

"Yukina wanted to heal your ribs," he sighed. "But she wanted to wait until you were awake. Then all that craziness happened.." he trailed off. He didn't have to continue. I broke everything in the dinning room and kitchen, Koenma was rambling and I rushed off to bed to get away from everything.

"It's okay," I assured him. "My ribs are a little achy but it's nothing I can't handle." I stood from the couch and stretched. "Now, I'm going to go and cook lunch. And then I'm going to make Hiei come and eat with us." I smiled brightly at his expression. "And you're going to play nice."

He scoffed as I happily made my way to the kitchen.

* * *

><p>Hiei scoffed as he pulled himself in through the window. Moments later there was a crash of thunder and rain began to fall from the sky. He scowled out the window as he slid it shut. Damn Human World weather. The clouds had rolled in from the distant horizon. Hiei had seen them coming but he paid them no mind until they were about to spill their rain.<p>

He turned and clenched his teeth when he saw Mi curled up on his pillow snoozing soundly. She had somehow managed to push his door open and decided that his pillow looked like a good place for a nap. He picked the creature up, who gave a protesting mew, and went to take the creature to it's owner. He had babysat it once today, he wasn't going to do it again. Before he had made it halfway across the room, there was a firm knock on his door. His eyes narrowed skeptically. He could sense the girls brother on the other side of the door. He opened the door and was met with hardened blue eyes.

"You and I are going to have a little chat," he said, pushing passed the fire demon. Hiei held back a growl as he closed the door and turned to face the man. David was standing in the center of the room, his shoulders squared back. "Let me say this first, I don't regret punching you. I will not apologize for that." Hiei scoffed and rolled his shoulders back. "But I have to thank you. For saving her. If you hadn't," he paused to clench his teeth. "So thank you for bringing her home."

"Hn," the fire demon grunted. He narrowed his eyes at the human man. He looked like he was turning something over in his mind.

"I've seen the way you look at her," David finally said. Hiei's eyes widened a fraction before narrowing even further. "The way you watch her. You were the first person to react last night when she lost control. She obviously trusts you," he said, nodding to the feline tucked in his arm. "I'm not going to stand in the way of that. I will warn you. Whether it be because I was over protective when she was younger, or the simple fact of she just wasn't interest in anyone, she's never had a boyfriend or anything close to one. She's naive, and even more so because she will never admit to that. If you hurt her, Hiei, I swear to God and the ground I walk on, I will put you six feet under. And don't take my warning lightly." David clenched his teeth again. "I may not like this. But I will respect it, and I will respect you because you saved her."

Hiei opened his mouth to dispel his words when a bright flash struck outside, causing a roaring boom to rattle the house. The lights flickered out around them, plunging them into darkness. There was another crash in the kitchen and a single heart beat later, a scream filled the air around them. Hiei's instinct kicked in. He shoved the feline into David's arms, and blurred away to the kitchen.

The darkness of the clouds outside were blocking the sun from lighting the kitchen. His eyes immediately adjusted to the blackness, to her form standing frozen in place. A shattered plate was at her feet as she stared out into the darkness her eyes wide and unseeing. He rushed to her and picked her up, carrying her away from the broken glass. He sat her back on her feet and leaned down to look her in the eyes. They were glazed over, looking at something beyond his shoulder. David came into the living room then, with Mi yowling in his arms.

Hiei growled and yanked the white cloth from his forehead.

* * *

><p>As I stood in the kitchen I watched the clouds come in from the distance. I watched as they rolled in closer and closer as I shaped the rice balls. I could hear their rumbling in the distance. I was certain that if I opened the window I would be able to smell the rain.<p>

Honestly, I loved the rain. It seems cliche to say that, but I really did. It reminded me of my mom. When I was younger I was terrified of thunderstorms. She would lay with me in bed at night while my smaller body would shiver in fear from every flash and rumble. She would rub my back and run her fingers through my hair soothing my fear away so I could sleep. I remember the exact time I was no longer afraid of the storms. She told me that thunderstorms were a love story. And if I listened close enough I could hear their love. The earth and rain loved each other and the rain was how they held each other. I remember thinking that it was the most beautiful love story I had ever heard. No princesses and princes with their fairy tales could match it.

Ever since then I loved opening my window and listening to the rain fall from the sky. It was silly, and I knew it was something that my mom had just made up for me to make me not scared anymore, but it always stuck with me.

I sighed and shook my head to disperse the memories flooding to me. Now wasn't the time to reminisce. I focused back onto my task of shaping the rice balls around steamed vegetables. I wasn't sure how long I had stood there at the cabinet before finishing, but when I had, the clouds had come and started pouring their rain out over the earth. I situated all of the rice balls on a plate and went to set it on the table so I could gather the boys. When I turned there was a loud boom of thunder, sending the house into darkness.

When I blinked there was a figure standing just a foot away from me. Lilac colored eyes stared down at me with a grin.

"Hello, Daelyn," Seikatsu said silkily. "You didn't actually believe I'd let you go, did you?"

The plate slipped from my fingers as a scream erupted from my chest. I tried to shove him away, but he disappeared and reappeared next to me, this time leaning down to whisper in my ear.

"You'll never escape me. I'll allway's be," he stopped to breath a warm breath against my neck. I felt his lips brush against my flesh. "Right here." I tried pushing away from him again, but as his arms snaked around me, I was frozen in place. My body was paralyzed and could only shake in horror as I felt him press his lips to my neck and start to work lower, pushing aside the straps of my dress. His hands worked to slowly slide the skirt of my dress up. I felt his fingers slide along my upper thigh tracing along until-

I blinked. I felt hands gripping onto my arms and I lashed out, scratching the hands away. I heard a curse as I back pedaled away, tripping over my feet and landing hard on my bottom. I scrambled back, my back hitting the wall.

"Hiei!" I screamed. "David! Make him stop!"

"Daelyn," came a harsh and familiar voice. I froze and finally my eyes started to adjust to the darkness. Hiei kneeled in front of me, his ruby eyes narrowed. "Stop. I'm right here."

My eyes darted around the room. I was in the living room. Hiei was kneeling in front of me, his bandana missing. David stood off close behind him, with Mi in his arms watching me intently. My eyes fell back on Hiei.

"Where is he?" I breathed. "Where's Seikatsu?"

"You were hallucinating," he answered.

I stared at him for a few non existent heart beats. That was..a hallucination? I swallowed the lump in my throat as I wrapped my arms around my knees and rested my forehead against them, forcing myself to breath in through my nose and out through my mouth. Mi ran over to me and crawled into my lap, forcing herself into the tight space between my legs and chest. She rubbed her face against mine, purring comfort into my body. I heard David kneel next to me.

"What did you see exactly?" he asked gently.

"It was just Seikatsu," I said after a moment. "He told me that I would never get away from him." I swallowed. "Then he started touching me. That's when I woke up."

I heard Hiei growl in the darkness as David's mood darkened considerably. The darker energy that melded with Hiei's roared in fury. David pulled me into his arms as I let out a shaky breath and tried to not let the tears prick my eyes, though I was failing miserably. _It was just a hallucination_ I told myself. _Calm down. It was just a hallucination. It was just a hallucination. _

"We need to leave for the psychic today," Hiei said, standing. "I'm going to get in touch with Koenma."

"What?" I asked, my voice between surprised and horrified. "I can't leave yet! I haven't had a chance to say goodbye to everyone!"

"They will just have to get over it," he growled, glaring down at me. "I was almost unable to pull your conscious back out. If it happens again, you won't be waking up."

I shrunk away from him as he snapped at me. David sighed next to me.

"I think he's right, Daelyn. You aren't safe here."

I stared up at him, tears pooling in my eyes as Hiei disappeared down the hallway. I didn't want to leave. I wasn't ready. I hadn't said goodbye to anyone and I didn't know how long I was going to be gone.

"Don't look at me like that," he said solemnly. "I don't like it anymore than you do, but you just aren't safe here. I'll help you finish packing, okay?" He stood and reached his hand out to me. I sniffled and wrapped one arm around Mi and reached up to let him pull me up. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and led me through the darkness to my room.

I sat Mi on the bed and rubbed at my eyes as David opened the blinds. Though it was still storming outside, there was enough light coming in that I could still kind of see around the room. Hiei came into the room, his presence wrapping warmth around my body as I made my way to the closet.

"I'm going to go and get the rest of your clothes out of the dryer," David said, sliding passed the demon and disappearing down the hallway.

I grabbed all of my leggings and yoga pants out of my dresser and walked them over to my duffle bag. I shoved them in trying to hold back another sniffle. Hiei watched me pack in silence while leaning next to the door. I felt his eyes burning into me as he watched me grab a few pairs of sweat pants and jeans to throw into the bag.

"Don't you need to pack?" I asked him, wishing he would look somewhere else.

"No," was his only response. I didn't bother rolling my eyes as I emptied the bag of stuff I got at the store earlier into the bag. David came back with a load of clothes in his arms. He laid them on the bed, which Mi immediately went to work burying herself into the warm pile. He raised an eyebrow at my bag before sighing and pulling them all out.

"You only have two bags, sis," he said. "Nothing is going to fit if you just throw it in there."

I wanted to mock him with my "whiney David voice", but I just didn't have it in me. I just simply sighed and helped him fold things and tuck them away back into the bag. Once everything on the bed was packed away (much to Mi's displeasure) I grabbed a few more things and folded them into the bag. When that bag was finally full of all the clothes I was going to bring, I tossed in the shampoo and conditioner I had bought. David brought me everything of mine from the bathroom and I tucked those things in there also. I looked around the room for anything else I needed to bring. I grabbed my phone charger and the picture of Keiko and I at her wedding and threw those into the bag, zipping it shut. I had already packed away Mi's toys earlier, which were packed into one of the side pockets of the duffle bag.

"Okay," I said, giving one last glance over. "I'm ready, I guess."

"To the train station?" David asked Hiei. The demon gave a single nod before grabbing the two bags off of the bed. I picked up Mi, grabbed a jacket out of the floor and followed the two men out of my room.

I slid on the jacket, tucked Mi inside of it and zipped it halfway up. After pulling on my shoes I followed them out the door.

The rain was cold on my legs, but I relished in it. The warmth coming from Hiei's energy was almost suffocating. Hiei slid three bags into the back seat, one I realized must have been his. I slid into the back seat, earning a strange look from David.

"You both have longer legs than I do," I said, shaking the rain from my hair and unzipping Mi from my jacket. "Neither of you will fit in the back seat comfortably."

David's eyes narrowed just a fraction and then slid over to the fire demon who was begrudgingly getting into the car, sitting in the seat in front of me. I was right in my assumption that Hiei wasn't a fan of the rain just like he wasn't a fan of the snow. David chewed the corner of his lip his eyes narrowing in thought. Whatever he was thinking, he didn't say. He simply turned the car on, turned to back out and we were on our way to the train station.

I watched as we passed by Keiko and Yusuke's house. I pushed back the tears. I refused to let myself cry over this. I understood I wasn't safe here. My hallucinations were still happening, even after taking the antidote. Hopefully everyone would understand why I didn't say goodbye. Mi curled into my lap as I laid my head back against the seat and closed my eyes. I didn't want to watch the houses and buildings pass me by. My eyes flew back open when behind my eyelids a pair of lilac eyes stared back at me.

I forced myself to take deep and regular breaths as I tangled my fingers into Mi's fur who purred in appreciation. The car ride to the train station was filled with silence. I taste the tension between the two men in the front seat in the back of my throat. It was substantially less than it had been which gave me some relief. David must have talked with Hiei at some point.

Once arriving at the train station, I slid out of the backseat, tucking Mi once again into my jacket. Hiei grabbed the bags out of the backseat and David followed us to the ticket area. Hiei disappeared into the crowd towards the ticket booth, leaving me with David in the covered area to get away from the rain.

"You have your phone?" David asked, turning to me.

"Yeah," I nodded.

"Make sure you call me every once in a while, okay? To let me know your alive?" he shifted on his feet. "If there isn't any reception where you are, try and write me."

"I will," I said, smiling up at him. Well, trying to smile.

He pulled me into a hug, making me have to shift Mi to keep her from getting crushed. I hugged him back, trying to blink away the tears. We stood there like that until Hiei came back with two tickets in hand. I looked up at him and he gave a single nod towards the train. I pulled away from David and did my best to give him a bright smile.

"Wish me luck," I said, a lump forming somewhere in my throat making it hard for me to breathe.

"Good luck," he nodded with a sullen smile. "I'll be here when you get back."

If apologizing was one thing the Matthews were bad at doing, then saying good-bye was the next thing that we just weren't able to do. With his last words, I gave him a small wave and followed after the demon who was walking towards the silver train. We boarded the train and took our seats. It was the same kind of train that we had taken to Genkai's with a set of four seats, two across from each other, facing inward. I sat next to one of the windows, and Hiei took the seat across from me.

The train filled up quickly, all of the seats being taken around us. All sets of four were filled, and I blinked as the train started to move, yet the two seats next to us were empty, and looked towards the demon across from me. He didn't acknowledge my questioning stare. I glanced out the window and saw David standing there, one hand tucked into his jacket pocket and the other waving. I returned his wave and watched him get further and further away on the platform until I could no longer see him.

I sat back in my seat with a sigh and Mi looked up at me, her ears twitching back and forth. I smiled down at her and her blue eyes twinkled. She nuzzled her face into my stomach, and kneaded at my legs. I wrapped my arms around her and sighed.

"How far away are we going?" I asked Hiei.

His eyes slid over to me, breaking his gaze away from the scene outside.

"Misawa," he said coolly.

"We're going to get there in the middle of the night!" I exclaimed quietly to not disturb anyone around us.

He must have elected that my statement was too stupid for an answer because he simply crossed his arms and legs then went back to looking out the window. I sat back in my seat with a grumble. Could Koenma have picked a psychic any further away? I gave a slight grimace. He probably could have. I sighed and laid my head back against the seat to stare up at the top of the train. My mind wandered from thought to thought aimlessly as the time ticked by.

I still didn't know how long I was missing for. I still didn't know if demon women had periods. Why was I still having hallucinations? Kurama had said that my hallucinations would go away after a few hours. Now they were so bad that Hiei wasn't sure if he was going to be able to pull me out of them anymore. Who was this psychic that I was going to go be training under? Koenma had said he was sensitive to my issues. What the hell did that mean? Why couldn't I use my telepathy when I had been able to before? The more and more my thoughts ran from me, the more I realized how clueless I really was. I needed to get answers.

"Hiei, how long was I gone?" I asked. The growl that came from his chest was low enough that I almost didn't hear it and his gaze lowered into a glare as he turned to look at me. "Don't give me that look," I said blandly. "I can't sit here for nine hours without some form of conversation. Humor me." He scoffed and rolled his eyes. Really. Hiei. Rolled his eyes. "Mature," I scowled at him. I watched him for a few minutes, and he must have, once again, decided that my question was too stupid to answer because he turned his gaze back out the window. I started to sigh in irritation when he cut me off.

"Two weeks," he grunted, finally.

"How did you find me?" I asked, pushing away my triumphant grin. I was going to get the answers I wanted while I could, so I was going to keep asking until he told me to shut up.

"Connections," he stated simply.

"What connections?" I pressed.

His eyes narrowed. _Not here_ his expression told me. I put that question in the back of my mind to ask him later when we weren't surrounded by humans.

"What happened to Tetsuya?"

"Why?" he countered, his eyes narrowing.

"Because he helped me," I blinked. "He helped you. He's not a bad guy."

"He was taken into custody," he said after a few moments. "No more questions."

I pursed my lips and shifted in my seat to get comfortable. At least I had a few questions answered. I blinked, suddenly remembering something.

"You said my name earlier," I said, drawing his attention back to me. His energy spiked suddenly making me sit back. "You uh..You've never done that before," I muttered, busying my hands with Mi's fur who was sleeping soundly. "Normally you just call me woman or something and.." I trailed off, and lifted my eyes for a second to look at him before lowering them again. His darker energy was soaring, while the lighter energy was trying to reign it back in. "I just..Nevermind. Forget I said anything."

He didn't give me a response. I kept my eyes away from him as the energy started to calm. It had wrapped itself around me, bringing a flush to my skin from the heat. I could see out of the corner of my eye that his bandaged hand was shaking as he clenched his fists. That made another realization dawn on me. I needed to ask him about this dragon that everyone had been talking about. Yet, as I watched his bandaged hand clench tighter causing his fingers to discolor, I wasn't sure if I really wanted to know. The energy started to rage around me again, drawing a low growl from the demon.

I tried to pay him no mind as he stood and brushed passed me, disappearing down the length of the cart, taking the roaring energy with him. I swallowed and brushed the hair out of my face and rested my head against the coolness of the window, trying to soothe the warmth away from my face. It seemed like whatever was going on with his energy, it was me causing it. One moment it could just be in it's normal and low burning state. The next moment, I would say or do something, and it would rage out of control, bring with it such strong emotions that it was hard for me to discern them. There was always one emotion that lingered. And it was lust.

For some sick and twisted reason that..excited me more than it scared me. I was horrified by myself at that thought. I mean, it was _Hiei_ for crying out loud. No matter what anyone said, he was not interested in me, in any way, shape, or form.

_Don't be stupid. He's just dealing with you because of Spirit World. _I told myself. I watched as he came back to sit down, his shoulders squared back. When his eyes met mine, I was taken back by the black fire burning in his eyes before he turned to look out the window once again.

_...Right?_

* * *

><p><strong>Please read me! I'm important!<strong>

You all didn't honestly think that I was going to give Dae-dae her powers so easily, did you? Or that she would get better with her hallucinations so quickly? Of course you didn't. I'd hope that you had more faith in me than that haha.

Daelyn, we all know your feelings now. You can't hide them from us.

Anyways, before I forget, the part of where Daelyn is talking about the ground and rain is inspired by the beautiful words of Shane Koyczan, a Canadian native who's spoken words will breath life into your soul. It's from his spoken word Shoulders, though I would highly recommend Instructions for a Bad Day and Heaven, or Whatever. You should go check him out.

Important announcement! I'm going to be changing the title of Someone Like You! I asked a few chapters back if anyone would be bothered if I did that, and no one has spoken against it, so I'm going to go ahead with the change. I like to base my titles around songs that inspire me with the story. I'm going to be changing the name to Gravity, inspired by the song Gravity by Sara Bareilles. I would love if you all gave it a listen and let me know what you think about it and what you think it means between our two in denial love birds.:) The change will be made by the time I update the next chapter.

**Mediocre Dunces**: That's okay, haha. I'm glad that you're enjoying it! I tried to make the hallucinations as seamless as possible, so I'm happy that i succeeded in that:) I hope you continue to enjoy the story!

**Heve-chan**: I do enjoy my quick updates:). I like to use my creativity to it's fullest and my creative streak that I've been going through hasn't died down sooo that means lots and lots of writing which means quick updates haha. Just pure romance gets old pretty quick. I've dabbled a lot in these most recent chapters because I'm trying to kind of thicken the plot with their confusion and denial with it as I move into the next area of story. It's definitely going to be a slow developing _romance _but the lust on the other hand well..you'll see.;) It is kind of what happened with Raizen and Yusuke's ancestral mother, now that you say that. It's just when I think of hardened felon and killer Hiei, I just don't see him falling in love easily. He's going to need a little push from our little Daelyn to understand that love isn't a bad thing. I hope you enjoyed this one!

**XBloodMageRikaX**: Poor things, indeed. Though it is amusing for us to read, isn't it? That's all that matters:) The hallucinations are sticking around for a bit, I'm afraid. The dragon is just going to complicate things further haha. But that's okay. It's more interesting to read, I believe.

**pourquoibella**: Thank you! I do feel a little better now, so hopefully this chapter made up for the shortness of the last chapter.

**Aly Goode**: It's totally fine! Haha, I understand. Yes, she can _finally _feel it. _Finally._ I know you've been looking forward to that:). And you shouldn't give me such evil idea's like that. We need to be thinking about poor little Dae-dae's mental well being, you know. Okay, maybe not. If that makes you a sadist I wonder what that makes me for writing and publishing it haha. I do so enjoy making my characters work through their problems. I hate when every little thing that is brought up one chapter is solved in the next. To me it's like, where's the pain? Where's the joy of over coming everything? I want turmoil and heartbreak! I want confused emotions! Maybe I really am a sadist haha.

**KK1372**: Well, I'm happy that you see my updates as a reward! That makes me happy:) He's definitely going with her to the psychic who is making his first appearance next chapter and well...I just absolutely love him. He makes me giggle. and unfortunately, she did get her voice back and now she can't use her telepathy. I didn't want her to master her powers so soon. I unfortunately like to drag things out haha.

Thank you for all your favorites, follows and reviews! Please leave me a PM or a review and let me know what you think!


	19. Chapter 19

I _attempted_ to draw a picture of Daelyn. I haven't actually sat down to draw something like years, so we're just going to pretend that it's a fabulous drawing right? I'm really sensitive when it comes to my art. I'm proud of myself for this even being uploaded to the internet. The link is in my bio.

* * *

><p>"A dream begins with a teacher to believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called 'truth'." -Dan Rather<p>

Gravity

Chapter Nineteen

The night was thick when we reached the top of the stairs to the home of the psychic. Hiei stood me on my own two feet as I grumbled something about psychics and their infatuation with obnoxious amounts of stairs. I was exhausted, my butt was sore from sitting for nine hours on a train, I was hungry, I was cold. Dammit, I was just in a bitchy mood. I brushed the skirt of my dress off, cursing under my breath as Mi yawned in my other arm.

I looked up towards the temple and my eyes fell on a figure that was sitting outside on the porch. I could only make out the shape of him as he sat with his legs crossed, leaning back and a faint trail of smoke rising from a tobacco pipe. I glanced up as Hiei as his own eyes fell onto the figure. He glanced down at me, adjusted the bags in his hands and set off towards the temple. I scurried after him, trying to stay close for the warmth coming from his body. As we got closer, his energy surprised me. His energy was that of a human and a demon, swirling together and meshing into one. He was a half breed.

When we were finally close enough that I could make out his features, he was smiling with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. He had long, shoulder blade length dark brown hair with streaks of gray peppered through. A few of the locks were wrapped in beads and string, the rest flowing freely around him. His eyes made me pause in a step, before quickly recovering myself and following after Hiei once again. They reminded me of molten silver, twinkling in the light behind him. He was older. I could see the way his tanned skin crinkled with his expression. He stood as we approached. He towered over me. He was probably around the same height as Kuwabara. He was honestly very handsome.

"Hello," he greeted, his smile stretching even further to a small grin. "Welcome to my humble abode." He tipped his head at us. "I go by the name Yokuto." He looked at us for a moment before I realized he was waiting for us to introduce ourselves.

"Oh! Um, I'm Daelyn," I said quickly. "He's Hiei. And this is Mi," I said shifting the now alert feline in my arms as she stared at Yokuto with curious eyes and twitching ears.

"It's good to finally meet you," he said, taking a drag off of the pipe, and breathing it out into the cool night air. "Come in, please." He turned on his heels, and made his way into the temple.

I glanced up at Hiei and he nodded me forward. So I followed after Yokuto. My body hummed in happiness as I stepped inside, the warmth from the temple easing the chill on my skin. The temple wasn't as large as Genkai's but still just as beautiful and traditional. Mi crawled out of my jacket and up to my shoulders to look around as Yokuto pointed out each room.

"This is the kitchen and dining room area," he said, pointing to one door. "This is the living area," he pointed to the open doorway across from the kitchen. We followed after him and turned down a hallway. "The armory is here," he nodded towards a door with a lock. "We'll go through that tomorrow. This," he said opening the double sliding door to reveal a garden. "Leads to the meditation garden." He slid it shut before I could get a good look. "That," he pointed to another door across from the doors. "Leads outside." He pointed to another door. "A training room should we not train outside." He walked down another hall, "These are all rooms that you may stay in. Around that corner leads you to the front of the temple." He turned to smile at us. "You may choose whatever room you would like. At the end of this hall are the bathing rooms and bathrooms. You'll see them. Now, are you hungry?" His eyes crinkled with a smile when I shifted on my feet. "Good. I have dinner ready. Pick a room and meet me in the dinning room." And with that, he was gone.

I blinked and looked up at Hiei who was already looking down at me. I fidgeted with my fingers and turned.

"U-um. This one is fine," I muttered. He slid the door open and sat two of the bags just inside the doorway and closed the door again. He went to the door next to it and placed his own bag inside. I blushed. He was going to be staying in the room directly next to mine.

"I have to be near incase you get yourself into trouble," he grunted, shoving his hands into his pockets. I blushed even more and nodded. Of course. It wasn't because he wanted to. He briskly headed for the end of the hall and I followed a few paces after. He paused at the end of the hall to let me pass him. I hurried by him and to the dinning room where Yokuto was already sitting. I sat at one of the places at the table, Hiei sat across from me.

"Well, then, now that you've had the tour," Yokuto said, passing me a bowl of rice. "I have a few questions for you before we begin tomorrow." I filled my plate with the food on the table and was thankful for the smaller dish that had been provided so I could feed Mi. "How far have you come with your powers on your own?"

"Um, well,-"

"Don't say 'um'," he interrupted me. "If you're going to speak, speak with confidence. If you aren't confident in yourself then there is no point in speaking."

I blushed, my ears burning. "My empathy developed on my own. It was kind of hard to handle when I first woke up from being..dead." I paused at that, grimacing. It was strange to think back on the fact that I had died. "I can usually push it back and ignore others emotions now. Strong emotions still push through," my eyes trailed over to Hiei for a moment, who's eyes darkened. I snapped my eyes down to my plate.

"She can project her own emotions onto those with no mental barrier," Hiei spoke up, his expression now bored.

"I can?" I asked, face drawing together in confusion. This was the first time that I had heard that I could do that. I didn't even realize I was doing it. Who had I done it to?

"You weren't aware of this?" Yokuto asked, his head tilting with his question.

"No," I said shaking my head. "I had no idea."

"Hm," he hummed in thought. "Continue."

"I was able to use my telepathy a few times," I said, fighting the urge to say "Um". You know when someone tells you not to do something, you constantly want to do it and never realized how much you did it before. Yeah. I do now. "I can't use it anymore."

"What caused that?"

"I'm not sure," I admitted. "I had been talking to someone in their mind. But I pulled out of their mind really fast. It was painful. I wasn't able to use it today." I explained, trying to avoid Hiei's stare.

"What kind of pain was it?" he asked. When I blinked at his question he smiled kindly at me. "Was it a head ache sort of pain? Or was it an over all body pain?"

"It was.." I lowered my eyes in thought and chewed my lip as I tried to think back on the pain. "It was kind of an over all pain. Mostly right here," I said, resting my hand on my upper stomach, right under my rib cage.

"You sealed your own power away," Yokuto said, his face sliding into a smile as his eyes twinkled mischievously. He started laughing. "I can't say I've ever heard of someone doing that."

"What can I say?" I mumbled, my ears burning. "I'm just talented like that."

He chuckled for a few more moments before smiling at me. "Please, continue."

"I was able to use my telekinesis one time," I said, looking down at Mi who was happily chewing away at a piece of fish. "I don't know how I did it. And I sort of broke almost every dish in the kitchen. Oh, and I cracked the table."

"What triggered this?" he asked, lifting a cup to his lips.

"A hallucination," I sighed.

He hummed again, his eyes crinkling in thought. "Is that everything?" I nodded in response. "Very well. Now. Tell me about yourself."

"What?" I blinked.

"Tell me about yourself," he said simply. "It's a simple request."

"U-um," I stuttered. He quirked an eyebrow. "I mean. Well, what do you want to know?" I asked, correcting myself with a blush.

"Whatever you want to tell me," he said easily. "Start with where you're from. You aren't Japanese, correct?"

"No," I said, shaking my head. "I'm American born. My parents moved us to Japan when I was four. My brother was eleven."

"_Do you speak English?_" he asked, in accented English words.

"_Yes,_" I answered back in my native tongue. "_My brother and I speak in English often._"

His silver eyes slid over to the demon across from me who had a mild look of annoyance on his face because he couldn't understand what I was saying. I saw the mischievous twinkle in his eyes again.

"Good to know," he said smoothly and turning his eyes back to me, the twinkle gone. That made me suspicious as he smiled at me. "Why did they come to Japan?"

"My dad's job moved him here," I said pushing the food around on my plate with my chop sticks. "My mom loved Japanese culture and they didn't really have anything holding them to the states. So they decided to go ahead and take the job offer."

"You said your mother 'loved' Japanese culture. Did something happen to her?" he asked.

"..Both of them were killed in a car accident five years ago when I was fourteen," I said after a moment. I sighed. "They were driving home one night and another car sped though a stop light," I blinked hard, trying to keep my voice from wavering. "They were both killed on impact."

"I'm sorry," he said, bowing his head in respect.

"It's okay," I said shaking my own head. "My brother was twenty-one at the time. He moved home from college to take care of me. He doubled up on his courses, worked full time, and I got a full time job around my school schedule. We got by and we had each other. That's all I could ask for."

"Your brother sounds like a good man," he said, giving me a smile.

"He is," I nodded, returning his smile. "He's an ass sometimes but, I know he means the best for me."

"Are you physically active?" he questioned. I was silently relieved that he had changed the subject.

"Well," I said slowly, trying to figure out what to tell him. "I love dance. That's pretty much the only physical activity that I do religiously. I'll go for a run or jogging sometimes if the dance studio I use is busy."

"Dance?" he asked, his expression brightened. He clapped his hands together and stood. "Come," he said with a smile. He came to stand next to me and reached a hand out to me to help me stand. I blinked and took his hand. He pulled me up effortlessly and I glanced over at Hiei who was regarding us with a narrow gaze of suspicion. Yokuto, who still had me by the hand, led me back down the hallways that we had just toured. He led me to the room that he said was a training room. He flicked on the light and brought me to stand in the middle of the room. "Stay." With that he disappeared out of the room.

A few moments later of me standing there confused, Hiei came into the room with Mi trailing closely behind him. He gave me a look that I discerned as questioning and I just shrugged. He stood to the side of the room. Mi followed after him mewling. She sat at his feet, her pointed tail swaying back and forth slowly as she looked between the two of us.

I took my chance to look around the room. It was made completely of wood just like the rest of the temple and it was completely empty. I pursed my lips and shifted on my feet. Yokuto appeared a few minutes later, a portable CD player radio hybrid in hand.

"Show me," he said, simply and sat the radio down.

"..I can't," I said, blushing. "I have broken ribs. I can't dance with them." He clicked his teeth and he crossed the room quickly with his long strides.

"What ribs?" he asked, standing in front of me.

I raised my right arm and pointed to that side. Before I could lower my arm, he raised his hands and hovered them over the bruised and beaten area. His hands started to glow a pale purple color. My ribs started to feel...strange. I could feel them mending together. They hummed with his energy as he willed them to heal. It was over before I could blink.

"Better?" he asked. I touched them expecting to feel a sharp pain but was pleasantly surprised to find that they were completely fine. I nodded with a smile of thanks. "Good. Now, if you would please show me your talents."

He walked back over to the radio and I fumbled with my hands. "I haven't warmed up.." I murmured, a blush rising to my cheeks realizing that I was going to have to perform in front of a certain demon, and I wasn't going to admit to which one that was.

"Nonsense," Yokuto said. "Unless you're embarrassed. Then I will ask him to leave."

"N-no!" I stuttered, blushing deeper when he called me out. "I'm not embarrassed.." I was such a liar. But I refused to admit that. My pride was at stake here.

"Good," he said, powering up the radio. "Then there shouldn't be a problem. Right?" his eyes crinkled with their usual twinkle.

"Right," I sighed and clenched my jaw. Music started playing from the speakers and I took a deep breath trying to steel my nerves and ignore the ruby eyes that stared unwaveringly at me. I closed my eyes and listened to the music that played, trying to find the beat and mood of the song. It was instrumental. It came to me in gentle waves, as if it were trying to soothe my soul.

I let my body take over from there. My mind retracted into itself, letting the music decide how my body should move. That's what I loved about dancing. I could pull into myself and not have to think about anything for hours. No matter how I was feeling, whether it be angry, sad, happy, or anything and everything inbetween, the feeling of complete peace would always be what my body craved. I was able to forget everything for even just a few minutes and let my self go.

As the crescendo of the music quieted, and faded into the final note, my body stilled. I opened my eyes and straightened while pursing my lips and trying to fight the blush that rose to my face. Hiei was staring at me strangely. His two energies were roaring in my ears, the darker one wrapping itself around me, whispering across my skin and his lighter energy did nothing to try and reign it in.

"You are very talented," Yokuto said with a smile bringing out the wrinkles around his eyes. "That is all I need from you tonight, Daelyn. Please, go get some rest and be ready for your first day of training at dawn." He turned his gaze to Hiei. "If I could speak with you for a moment before you retire."

I hurried out of the room, picking Mi up as I went. I scurried towards my room and flicked the light on and closed the door behind me. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I had been holding and laid my head back on the door. Mi twisted away from my arms and scampered over to the futon. I watched as she quickly made herself at home on top of the blankets, kneading herself a comfortable spot. I felt a corner of my lip turn up as I watched her. Life must be so easy to be a cat.

The room was bare. A futon that was large enough for two people to fit comfortably was pushed up into the corner of the room with a low sitting night stand next to it and a lamp sitting on top of it.. A large window was directly across from me, though it was too dark for me to see out. A desk sat on the opposite side of the room as the bed with an empty book shelf next to it. It wasn't much, but it was home for now. I was just going to have to make due.

I kneeled down next to my clothing back and unzipped it then pulled out a tank top and a pair of leggings. Stripping off the dress was easier than it had been this morning to put it on, and I was extremely grateful to Yokuto for that. I grabbed my phone out of my bag along with my charger and went over to the night stand. I found the wall plug in and plugged my phone in to the charger. I started for the other side of the room again to turn off the light, but paused. My fingers found their way to the switch on the lamp, flicked it on, and then I went to turn the main light of the room off. I didn't want to be in darkness. The last time I had been plunged into darkness I started hallucinating. That was the last thing I wanted to go through again.

With the main light turned off, I crawled onto the futon, pulled the blankets over me, and quickly fell asleep.

* * *

><p>"How has she been handling the change?" Yokuto asked, crossing his arms behind his back. Hiei watched the man closely for a moment, before answering.<p>

"Ask her," he scoffed, turning to leave.

"I'd rather it if you answered," the half breed said, stopping the fire demon in his step. "An outside view will tell me more about what she needs for her training."

"She doesn't act any different than before her change," he said plainly, turning to glare at the man.

"Hm," he hummed, bringing the tobacco pipe up to his lips and lighting it. Silver eyes watched him in a calculating stare. "Do you have any idea as to what is triggering her hallucinations?"

"Fear," he grunted. "Her energy spikes when she's scared."

"Fear of what?"

"Whatever that bastard did to her," he growled, growing irritated with Yokuto's questions.

"Do you know this for fact or is it just a theory?" Yokuto asked, tobacco smoke trailing from his mouth. Hiei's eyes narrowed at the man even further. "It's a simple question. You are a telepath, no? I was told by Koenma that you've had to pull her out of her two most recent hallucinations. What was her subconscious like? Was she scared?"

"She was scared. Her subconscious was dark which is different from how it is normally," Hiei shifted on his feet to shove his hands in his pockets. "It's a theory."

The two men stood there in silence for a few moments as Yokuto turned his words over in his head.

"That's all I needed from you," Yokuto said finally with a smile. "Rest well."

* * *

><p>"You want me to what now?" I asked, staring at the older man in surprise. I dropped my eyes to the two items that he had just tossed to me. A stick that was as tall as I was, and a roll of silken gold ribbon. I looked back up at him. "Seriously?"<p>

"Seriously," he repeated, smiling.

I chewed the corner of my lip in concern, but with his molten eyes staring me down I didn't have a choice. I sat the stick down and unraveled the ribbon. With hesitant hands I brought it up over my eyes and tied it behind my head, throwing me into total darkness. The fabric, though it was silk, was thick and impossible to see through. Clumsily, I reached out to grab the stick again and held it tightly in my hands. I clenched my jaw as red started to drip in the darkness.

"I'm starting to hallucinate," I said, my voice shaking.

"Push it away. Your energy is spiking. If you can discern that it's a hallucination then you can push it away. Focus on your energy," he said. I could hear him moving somewhere next to me.

Swallowing the nervousness away, I tried to focus on something other than the blood that was dipping in the darkness. I tried to search for the energy that he said was spiking. How was I supposed to find it and focus on it? And what the hell was this stupid stick for? Why did I have to use this stupid ribbon?

_Focus_, I told myself. I forced all of my thoughts away and drew into myself trying to find this energy that he was talking about. The blood came faster, completely covering my vision in red. My hands started to shake as the panic started to bubble in my chest.

"Daelyn," Yokuto said, snapping my attention away from the blood. "Don't fear it. Whatever your seeing isn't real. Use it to find your energy and grasp a hold on it."

I sighed shakily and pulled back into myself. I gripped the stick tighter, giving myself a real sensation to ground myself to. Breathing in through my nose and out through my mouth, I centered myself. The blood that was dripping started to lessen. It came slower and slower, and the solid wall of red that I was watching began to break apart. Behind it I saw a glowing light. I started to reach out for it and it flickered away. I cursed and tried to center myself again.

The blood was flowing freely again. It started to wash over me, covering my clothes and body in its thick warmth. Its smell burned into my nose. It flowed freely into my mouth as I breathed, staining my teeth with the metallic taste. _It's not real, _I told myself pushing away my fear. _It's not real. Focus. It's not real._ I chanted the mantra over and over in my mind. The blood started to retreat on my skin, the wetness leaving my skin completely dry as it seemed to drip in reverse. The pale glowing energy appeared before me again. I started to reach for it again, but froze still as a figure appeared behind the little ball of light.

Seikatsu stood proud, smirking as he looked over me. His sky blue hair flowed freely around him in a breeze that I couldn't feel.

"You think you're ready for this?" he asked, his voice wrapping a vice like grip around me. "You are but an ignorant child. You can't handle this power that I have gifted you."

_He's not real,_ I told myself. I wanted to grab the little ball of light, but my body wouldn't listen. It was frozen in place and shivering at the sound of his voice.

"I assure you, my Queen. I am very real," he chuckled. He moved around the light in a slow but sure stride. He came to stand behind me and placed his hands along my arms, tracing shapes against my skin. "You're fear is intoxicating," he said lustfully into my ear. "I can feel it radiating off of you. I love that you fear me."

"Fuck you," I snapped. "You aren't real. You don't control me," I growled pushing him away and rushing to the light. I reached for it, but froze as my hand hovered over it. Something in my body was screaming at me to stop. Don't touch it. Don't grab it. Leave it alone. I glared over at him and he smiled silkily. "Fuck you," I told him again.

I grabbed the light.

A bright flash burst from the small orb melting away the blood. I looked up to see Seikatsu's figure fading away as his dark laughter filled my ears. I gripped the orb tighter making the light grow brighter. It started slicing at my skin, leaving bright trails of my blood behind. I could feel my skin boiling where it touched the orb. My body screamed at me to let go but my hands wouldn't obey. They gripped the ball tighter and tighter until a scream erupted from me. It was boiling my skin and muscle away leaving only charred bone behind. It was burning away every inch of me.

My eyes snapped open as my lungs gasped for air. Yokuto was kneeling next to me, his hands hovering over my chest, his energy fading around him as he watched me closely.

"W-what happened?" I struggled out, trying to sit up.

"Rest for a moment," he said, pushing me back to laying on the cold wooden floor. "I had to seal your energy away. It was tearing your soul apart."

I stared up at him eye wide. "But..why?"

"Your body is not fit enough to hold it. I wasn't assuming that your energy was so powerful because you are still new in your transformation," he pursed his lips. "I was wrong. We're going to have to approach this a lot slower than I anticipated." I sighed and stared up at the wooden ceiling. Great. Just great. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Fine," I said. "I don't feel any different than I did before."

"Good," he nodded. "That means I was able to seal it away in time before causing any permanent damage. You'll be fine," he continued standing. He reached his hand out to me to help me stand. "Since we can't try and use your energy just yet, we'll focus on your physical strength for now." He took a step back from me. "Punch me. As hard as you can."

_..What?_

He smiled at my expression and chuckled. "Don't worry," he said. "I've only partially lost my mind. I need to know what you're capable of before I decide where we need to go with your training. So please. Punch me."

I pursed my lips and balled up my fist and looked back at him. He nodded with another smile. I stepped back with my right foot, vaguely remembering Yusuke talking me through how to throw a punch. Yokuto continued to smile at me and he nodded, approving my stance. I clenched my right fist even tighter and swung, landing the punch directly to the center of his chest. Pain vibrated up my arm and I jumped back shaking my hand out with a hiss. It was like punching a brick wall. Tears burned at the corner of my eyes as I rubbed my knuckles.

"Daelyn," he said grabbing my attention away from my hand. "I said punch me as hard as you can."

"I did!" I exclaimed, holding my hand to my chest. I gave him a wounded look as his eyes crinkled in confusion for a moment.

His mouth opened and then closed again, frowning. Then the corners of his mouth started twitching. A chuckle broke through his chest. A few more chuckles turned it to an open laugh. I frowned as his laughter came even harder until he was full out laughing, arm wrapped around his stomach and leaning over. I kicked at the ground as a blush came to my cheeks. It wasn't that funny..

"Oh, goodness," he said, still chuckling and wiping his eyes. "We have a lot of work to do. I'll be right back." With that he left the room and I could hear him chortle down the hall. He wasn't gone for long before he came back. He approached me with mirth still in his eyes as he tried to hide his smile from me. He held out two thick metal bracelets. "Put these on," he said, motioning for me to take them. I took them from his hand and snapped one on each wrist. He kneeled and snapped two more, one on each of my ankles.

"What are you doing?" I asked suspiciously as his hand started to glow. He made some kind of motion with his hands, and the two metal pieces on my ankles started to glow. He stood and grabbed my wrists to pull them in front of me with his non glowing hand. He made the same motions as he had just a moment ago and the bracelets started to glow. He stepped back, and the glowing started to fade. I yelped as a sudden weight smashed me into the ground, causing me to land hard on my hands and knees. I struggled against the weight to try and stand, but my limbs were held firmly to the ground. "What the hell did you do?!" I demanded.

"Normally these are used to strengthen one's energy," he said in a sing-song voice. "But because we can't work with your energy right now, I changed the spell to focus on your physical strength and what little energy you had before. As your body and mind strengthen, my seal on your energy will slowly let out what it's trapped."

My head snapped up to glare at him. "How much do these things weigh?!"

"One hundred and fifty pounds," he paused, a smile curling onto his face. "Each."

"I don't even weight a hundred and ten pounds soaking wet!" I all but screeched. "How the hell am I supposed to move in these?!"

"Get stronger," he shrugged. He turned on his heels and made for the door. "Good luck," he called over his shoulder and then disappeared.

I stared at the door incredulously. He seriously just left me here with...I did the math quickly in my head. SIX HUNDRED EXTRA POUNDS?!

"Bastard!" I yelled after him. I heard his laughter at a distance away. I grumbled a few more obscenities and glared down at my hands. This is not physically possible! I had trouble opening a jar of peanut butter, dammit! I steeled myself and exactly two deep breaths before trying to force myself to stand again. I pulled as hard as I could until sweat started dripping from my face and my limbs started to shake painfully. A gasp escaped me as my body gave out and crumpled forward, my arms twisted painfully underneath me.

I took a few moments to try and catch my breath before I pushed myself up to all fours again. I wasn't going to give up.

* * *

><p>"Man, it sucks she didn't get to say good bye," Kuwabara said sullenly.<p>

"She really wanted to," David sighed, his chin resting on his fist. They had gathered in the Urameshi home that evening. David sat next to Kurama on opposite sides of the couch, while Kuwabara had made himself comfortable in the floor by the coffee table. Keiko sat in a lounge chair with Yusuke standing a few steps away. "She was really upset that she couldn't."

"But she's safe now, right?" Keiko asked. She had been sitting silently with worry drawing her pretty features together. Ever since yesterday after noon when David had called her to let her know what happened she had been a worrying mess. She had no idea if her best friend was okay, and that bothered her deeply. They had always been so close and over the last course of the past few weeks it was like they hardly spoke anymore. She didn't know how her best friend was feeling after fully changing from human to demon.

"Hiei seemed to think she would be," David answered his mouth tight with a frown. He, himself didn't look any better than Keiko. He didn't sleep the night before, constantly looking at his phone every few minutes to see if she had called or texted him and he just hadn't heard. The only phone call he had received last night was from Shizuru who was returning his missed call.

"Did he say where they were going?" Yusuke asked.

"Just outside of Misawa to a psychic named Yokuto."

A quiet chuckle came from Kurama, drawing attention to the red head who had been sitting quietly and content to listen to the others talk. "I apologize," he said when he noticed everyone's eyes on him. "If she is in the care of Yokuto she will be fine," he assured them.

"You've heard of him?" Kuwabara asked leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees.

"Yes. I haven't met him personally," he answered resting his chin in his palm. "I've heard many things about him. No doubt Hiei has also or else he wouldn't be willing to take her there. He's a very..unconventional man. No doubt, Daelyn is going through the hardest training of her life."

* * *

><p>"Son of a bitch!" I yelled, collapsing to the ground in a panting heap. "God dammit!"<p>

It had been eight hours. Eight long and grueling hours of trying to move my limbs enough that I could stand or even just move forward. Sweat poured from my body, matting my hair to my scalp and face. It burned my eyes, but there was nothing I could do to relieve it. I couldn't even lift my arms two inches off the god damned ground. _Somehow_ I had managed to move forward about five inches from where I was originally weighted down.

I pushed myself up off the floor back to my hands and knees. With one big intake of breath I strained my left arm up just enough that I could slide it forward a few centimeters before the weight was just too much for my limb. I forced my other arm to do the same, along with each leg separately. If I could just make it to the wall, maybe I could use it to help me stand.

A pair of black boots appeared in my vision. I lifted my head to see Hiei peering down at me with his hands shoved in his pockets.

"What?" I snapped at him. I was beyond exhausted and fed up. I did not want to deal with him and his stupid, hormonal, mood-changing energies right now. He didn't answer me as his eyes narrowed. I scoffed. Fine. "Asshole," I muttered. I started the struggle of lifting my arm to move forward once again. I grit my teeth to hold back a string of curses when I tried to move my other arm.

My muscles were on fire, screaming for me to stop and rest. My back was cramped because I was hunched over, making it harder and harder for me to move my arms. My entire body was shaking and no amount of will power would make it stop. I was just completely and utterly exhausted and drained. The shaking in my arms caused my elbows to give and I collapsed to the floor once again. I laid there with my face pressed to the cold wood, soothing the heat from my face.

"Damn it," I cursed, letting my eyes slide shut. I couldn't make myself move anymore. My muscles felt like half melted jelly.

"Pathetic."

My eyes flew open, and I stared up at the demon who stood over me. "...what did you just say?"

"You're pathetic," he sneered. "Or do I need to say it slower for your simple mind to understand?"

"I'm not pathetic, you bastard!" I exclaimed, glaring at him. "What the fuck is your problem?!"

"You can't even pick yourself up off the floor," he derided. "You're a pathetic excuse for a demon."

"Shut up!" I screamed at him. "Shut up and leave me alone!"

"Get up and say it to my face," he jabbed. He leaned forward, bending at the waist. "Or are you too weak to get up off the floor and do that?"

The growl that came from my chest rivaled anything I had ever heard from Hiei. I squeezed my eyes shut and forced my body up with clenched teeth. I opened my eyes to see Hiei walking towards the door.

"Come back here, bastard!" I shouted after him.

"Pathetic," he spat like the word put a bad taste in his mouth. Then he was gone.

The heavy breathing that wracked at my chest was no longer from lack of oxygen. Rage boiled over me like lava. I cursed loudly wanting to slam my fists into the ground, but the weights on them kept me from being able to do so. I clenched my jaw and started making my way forward once again with a new found strength in my body. I was going to make it to that wall, and when I was finally able to stand, I was going to hunt that stupid demon down and show him _pathetic. _

As I struggled forward, my glared landed on the stick that Yokuto had given me earlier that day that had been left abandoned just a few feet away. An idea suddenly came to me. I clenched my jaw and started slowly moving towards the stick. With adrenaline and rage pumping through my veins it seemed easier to move. I still wasn't moving very fast, but my fingers clenched around the stick only fifteen minutes after setting my sights on it.

I twisted it in my hand, braced the end of it on the ground and pulled with all the strength that I had left in my body. I slid my feet underneath me and with my back and legs cracking loudly, I finally managed to stand. I didn't give myself any time to celebrate my victory. With my mind set on getting out of this damned room, I started sliding my feet and using the stick to hold the weight of my upper body up. Step, by agonizingly slow step, I made my way out of the room and down the hall. My ears picked up the sound of quiet voices coming from the dinning area. The low rumble of Hiei's voice lit the rage that was already burning to new levels of anger that I had never experienced.

I don't know how long it took me to make it down the hall and around the corner into the other hallway. I don't know how long it took me to struggle my way to the open door of the dinning area. But even when I stood there with my body trembling so hard that I could hardly keep a hold of the stick, sweat dripping off of me and onto the polished hardwood floors, fingers bruising from the grip that I had on the stick, I squared my shoulders back and looked Hiei, who had simply raised an eyebrow at me, dead in the eye and said:

"I am not pathetic."

* * *

><p>TWO UPLOADS IN TWO DAYS?! WHAT IS THIS SORCERY?!<p>

Just kidding. I've had a pretty good day today and I'm just in a really good mood haha. So I decided to go ahead and upload.

I'm in such a love-hate relationship with this chapter. I love this chapter because I absolutely love Yokuto. Seriously. He's currently my favorite OC that I've ever come up with. I really hope you all grow to love him too. I hate this chapter because, damn it all, I could not stop editing this chapter. Even up until this point that I'm about to hit "update" I've added in, deleted, rewritten, reworded, and gone "son of a bitch" and rewrote exactly word for word what I had just deleted because what I had written in it's place didn't fit.

But, I know some chapters just need more work than others. I just hate it when I come across one of those, you know?

Anyway! We got to hear a little bit more of how Daelyn came to Japan, and more about the accident with her and David's parents. I know it's not much, but trust me, there's a whole lot more to flesh out in the chapters to come. I haven't touched on it much, but would you want to talk about it with anyone if it happened? I'm trying to make her seem as real as possible and make her into a well rounded character.

Annnd there's going to be a character returning next chapter that I'm really excited about.

Have I mentioned that I love Yokuto?

I really wanted to kick Hiei in the shins this chapter. Like seriously. Don't be mean to little Dae-dae dammit.

**XBloodMageRikaX**: Protective big brother indeed! But I mean, wouldn't you be protective if someone as scary and intimidating was looking like he was showing interest in your little sister? David's gotta be scary back to show Hiei who's boss haha.

**Aly Goode**: Your wish has been granted indeed my friend haha. And sexual tension is my first name with drawing shit out as my first. So you've come to the right place:) And we aren't supposed to be enjoying her torture remember? That's sadist...;) I honestly wasn't going to write that part tbh. I was going to have David come in and play super hero big brother, but I had a creative spark and went with it. I'm glad you enjoyed it! Feel free to share any of those devious ideas haha. I do enjoy being inspired by my readers.

**pourquoibella**: Yes, the slow burn is very very real. It is strong with this one haha. I'm happy you enjoy it!

**Zakuro Nakishai**: I actually didn't know this was being posted on tumblr! When you said that I had to go through and search to see it for myself haha. It made me really happy that people feel like this story is good enough to share it on social media. I try really hard to keep him in character! Even though I really just want to take their faces and mash them together and demand them to love each other I know I can't do that. Sigh. I'm glad you like the title change! I feel like it fits so much better than Someone Like You.

**Heve-chan**: Your questions are definitely questions that I feel like I have to plead the fifth on haha. I must not divulge all of my secrets! Everything will be answered in due time!:) Though the reason of her telepathy was answered in this chapter, so I guess I did divulge some secrets haha. Hiei is just making things super difficult for her, isn't he? She feels one thing with her empathy, but then he pulls some stunt like the stuff at the end of this chapter. I would be confused too! I'm glad you think the new title fits! I had really been thinking hard on changing it or not. "Someone Like You" would fit much later in this story, but it would really only fit the end. I feel like Gravity covers all of the story I have planned out in my head. I would tell you why I originally chose Someone Like You, but it would be a **_huge_** spoiler for the story and I just wouldn't be able to live with myself for doing that, you know?

Thank you for all of the favorites, follows, and reviews! I love hearing back from all of you and if you have any questions don't be afraid to ask! So please send me a PM or leave me a review and let me know what you think!


	20. Chapter 20

"There are dark shadows on the earth, but it's lights are stronger in the contrast." -Charles Dickens

Gravity

Chapter Twenty

_Where am I..?_

My eyes fluttered open. My vision was bleary as I tried to blink away the sleep from my eyes. When things finally came into focus, I twisted my head to the side to see the night stand next to my bed. I felt Mi stir against my thigh, but she settled back down snuggling even closer. I flinched as I tried to sit up, before giving up and laying back down. My muscles felt like they had been torn off my body, thrown into a blender on puree, and forced back under my skin. I could still feel the weights on my limbs.

I lifted one arm up with some mild difficulty to stare at the metal bracelet. I hadn't taken the time to appreciate its appearance before. It was copper in color, about two inches wide, with a curling design daintily etched into the metal.

_Such a pretty thing to cause me so much hell,_ I scoffed in my mind. I let my arm drop heavily next to me. I could see the window from where I was laying. It was completely dark outside. To be honest, I wasn't really sure how I made it to my room. The last thing I remember was glaring at Hiei after my painful walk to the dinning room. I wasn't even sure why I was awake now. I was completely exhausted and I had to be up in a few hours to train with Yokuto.

I started to let my eyes slide shut to let sleep take me over once again when my stomach rumbled loudly, reminding me that I hadn't eaten in over twenty four hours. I groaned and despite my screaming muscles, I forced myself up to sit. Mi mewed at me in protest as I continued to force my body to move. Standing was pretty damn difficult. I teetered on my feet for a few moments as the weights threw me off balance. Though they were still relatively heavy, I could manage to move without having to hold onto the stick that I had earlier. I still kept myself braced against the wall because my limps still felt like jelly. I slowly made my way out of the room.

The temple was dark. I assumed that Yokuto and Hiei had long since gone to bed because the only sounds I could hear were from the crickets outside when I passed by windows. My adventure to the kitchen took longer than it should have, but I just didn't trust my weighted legs to carry me any faster.

I fumbled with the light switch to the kitchen as a chill went up my spine from my bare feet on the cold floor. I grimaced as the light assaulted my eyes from the darkness. After rubbing the spots from my eyes I braced myself against the cabinets and made my way over to the refrigerator. I pulled out some left overs from the night before with a pair of chopsticks and carried them with me to the table. I sat heavily and slumped against the table for a moment, letting my limbs start to feel like appendages again.

After sitting there for a few minutes with my eyes closed I sat up with a sigh as my stomach rumbled again. I ate my fill of cold rice and fish in silence. When I was finished I slumped against the table again, too exhausted to try and move again.

"What are you doing?" I heard from the door way. My eyes slid open to see Hiei looking at me like I had grown two heads.

"Sleeping," I answered, letting my eyes close again. "Sh."

"Why are you trying to sleep here?" he asked, his tone a mixture of confusion that he tried to cover with harshness.

"Shh," I pressed a single finger to my lips to signal him to be quiet. "No more talking."

He scoffed and I heard him cross the room. I felt his warmth wrap around me as he kneeled and lifted me from the ground. My body curled into his, giving an involuntary shiver when his warm skin of his arms touched the clamminess of my own skin. I felt his two energies flare around me but I was too exhausted to care. I let the darker energy wrap itself around me, bringing a pleasant flush to my skin. It hummed around me when I didn't fight it and it felt as if it was trying to pull me closer. A growl came from Hiei's chest.

He somehow managed to slide the door open without having to put me down. I expected him do just put me on my feet and leave me to managed getting to my bed. I gave a smile of appreciation when he laid me on the futon with surprising gentleness. Once my head hit the pillow I was already beginning to fall asleep.

"Hiei," I called out to him sleepily when I heard his footsteps retreating away. Mi was sleepily curling into my side. "Thank you. You're still an asshole."

He must have electing my statement to be too stupid to answer because the room was plunged into darkness as he turned the light off. I was asleep before the door closed.

* * *

><p>"It's strange," Yokuto's voice came from behind Hiei as he slid the girls door shut. Hiei turned to give a weak glare to the man who he wouldn't admit had snuck up on him. "She cares so strongly about your opinion of her," his eyes twinkled. "And though you called her pathetic for not being able to move with her weights, you carry her to bed," he paused. "Both times."<p>

"What are you saying, old man?" he asked harshly, his eyes narrowing.

"Just making an observation," he said with a smile. "I do quite enjoy seeing a romance play out. I just ask that you please not distract my student too much." His words struck the fire demon into silence as his mind tried to wrap around what he had just said. Yokuto began to make his way down the hall a chuckle erupting from him.

Hiei scoffed, and turned on his heel to make his way back to his own room. Senile old man had no idea what he was talking about.

* * *

><p>"I'm very seriously," I panted hard, doubling over to rest my hands against my knees. "Beginning to hate you." I was on my sixteenth lap around the temple, which was a lot larger than the inside because there were areas that I hadn't seen yet, out of the one hundred I had been told to run.<p>

"That's quite alright," Yokuto answered, lifting his pipe up to his mouth. "You can hate me even more when you finish what I told you to do," he said, his molten eyes crinkling at me. "Now get to it. We have a lot more to do today."

My eyes fell on Mi who was sitting next to him and watching me with her head tilted to the side. Yokuto reached over to run his hand down her back, and she closed her eyes to lean into his hand, a loud purr rumbling from her little body

"Traitor," I grumbled. She mewled loudly at me and I forced my feet forward. The sun had just started to fully rise over the horizon. Even though it was barely light outside, I was covered in a thin layer of sweat. So, not only was I awake before the birds started chirping, but I was already disgusting before they could find their stupid worm. "Stupid birds," I muttered as I had to run around a large rock. "Stupid weights. Stupid training. Stupid Yokuto. Stupid, stupid, stupid."

To be honest, Yokuto's grounds were beautiful. He had about an acre of gardened land surrounding the temple in each direction. Trimmed bushes and flowered plants, a few trees that were twice the size of the temple that were starting to bloom with the spring season approaching. Beyond that acre was a forest of trees. Why these psychics had a thing with stairs and forest, I'm not really sure. But I knew that Yokuto's land went much farther than I could see through the trees. I had come to find out that on the back side of Yokuto's temple was a beach that lead out into the ocean. The size and beauty of it had caused me to stop in the middle of my first lap to stare out over it. The sand was almost white with a stark contrast against the deep blue of the water. I wanted to appreciate it for longer and go out to the water, but I knew that I needed to finish these one hundred laps.

And that's how half of my day went. By noon I was collapsed to the ground with a cramp in my side that made it hard for me to stretch out. The weights were slowly getting easier to move with, but they still weighed me down considerably. I was panting heavily as Yokuto stood over me, his shadow blocking the sun from my eyes.

"Tired?" he asked, his eyes twinkling with his smile.

"Nope," I said plainly with a mild glare. "Just cloud watching."

"Good," he said brightly and stepped away, blinding me for a moment with the sun. He ignored my hiss of pain and tossed something at me, landing it on my stomach. I sat up and looked down at the stick. It was the same one from yesterday. I looked up at him in question. "Get up," he answered, twirling two smaller wooden things in his hands.

I hesitantly stood, watching him twirl the things in his hands effortlessly. They were simple, polished and rounded pieces of wood that were a little longer than his forearms. Attached about a fourth of the way up one side of them was another piece of rounded and polished wood that he gripped onto.

"What you are holding is a bo staff," he said. "What I am holding are called tonfa. I was going to let you go through the armory and decide what weapon you would like to use, but," he gave the tonfa one final spin. "After watching you dance, I decided it would be best for you to use a bo staff." He smiled at me. "I hope you don't mind." I shook my head while gripping the bo in my hands. "Good. Now, find a comfortable way to hold it to defend yourself."

I shifted awkwardly on my feet as I gripped the bo tighter. My feet moved to the stance of how Yusuke had taught me to throw a punch, and I held the bo out awkwardly in front of me. Yokuto watched me with amusement dancing on his face.

"I have no idea how to use this thing," I grumbled.

He chuckled and tucked the two tonfa into his sash at his waist. He strode over to me and adjusted my stance. My right leg was moved further back and he bent my knees so that I wasn't locking them. With my arms, he took my right hand and braced it against my hip, placing one end of the staff into my palm and closing my fingers around it. With my left arm he stretched it out to level with my shoulder and had me grip the other end of the staff, leaving about a foot length of the ends of the staff beyond each hand. He stepped back to inspect my stance before making a few minor adjustments.

"...Are you going to try and hit me with those things?" I asked while eyeing the tonfa at his waist while he walked around me.

"Not yet," he answered honestly with a chuckle. "That will come shortly."

I swallowed at that and pursed my lips and wishing that I just hadn't asked.

"This position that you are in needs to become muscle memory," he instructed. "You need to be able to fall into this stance as easily as you do walking or dancing. You have it memorized?" he asked. I gave a single nod. "Good. Now relax for a moment while I go and retrieve something."

I let my arms fall, holding the bow to one side. I watched as his long strides carried him into the temple, leaving me alone. I could sense Hiei's energy somewhere outside but I couldn't pinpoint it exactly. It was like it was being drawn in, attempting to make itself smaller. I didn't have long to ponder on that because Yokuto appeared just a few moments latter, a larger bo staff in his hands.

"Now, fall into stance like I showed you," he said, holding the bow behind his neck and resting his hands on it.

I did as he asked, stretching my right leg back, slight bend of the knees and put my arms into position with the bow. He arched an eyebrow at me.

"Try again."

Under his close watch, I shifted a little, suddenly unsure of my stance. What was I doing wrong? I moved my hands further apart, and looked up at him in question.

"I thought you said you memorized it?" he asked, his eyebrow still raised.

I blushed and pursed my lips. "I thought I did.."

He walked over to me and slid his bo down to his side as he looked over me his silver eyes calculating. He reached his hand out and shoved against the bo in my hands knocking me back and yanking the bo out of my hands. The weights attached to my wrist kept me from being able to gain my balance and sent me falling to the ground and I landed hard against the grass.

"What the hell was that for?!" I exclaimed, glaring up at him.

"Your feet were not far enough apart," he said, giving my smaller bow a simple spin. "If your feet are too close together, you can not keep your balance should you be attacked. Your enemy will see that and will take advantage of it. All it took was a simple push to stumble you. What would you have done if I charged you full force?" My momentary anger dimmed away as I opened my mouth to answer but came up with nothing. "Your grip was also too weak. Always assume that if you don't have your weapon in your hands during battle, you will die. Whether that be true or not, you do not want to let the enemy disarm you." He tossed the bo down to me, almost wacking me in the face. "If I ask you a question and you lie to me about the answer again I will not be so forgiving. Now, try again."

I clenched my jaw and pushed myself up from the ground, gripping the bo tight in my hands. I avoided his gaze as I slid my feet further apart this time where it felt like he wouldn't be able to push me over. The weights on my left arm made it shake as I held it level with my shoulder to grip the bo as tight as I could without losing feeling in my fingers.

He made a circle around me while closely inspecting my stance. He gave me a light push on my back, but my wide stance of my feet kept me from even teetering slightly. My grip on the bo stayed strong as he tried to give it a quick yank from my hands.

"Good," he said stepping back with a nod. "Do you have this memorized?" I gave a firm nod. He narrowed his eyes at me.

"Yes," I said, clenching my jaw. "I have it memorized."

"The bo staff can be used as a close range and mid range weapon," he said, lifting his own bo that was the same height as him. "It should be just a few inches shorter than you. Any shorter, then you're allowing your enemy to get closer to you. Any longer and it will be difficult to wield. Watch closely." He held the bow out, horizontal to the ground, with the hand gripping the bo palm down. His left arm stretched out to rest his hand on top of the other palm up. The bottom hand began to spin the bow, passing over it once and catching the other end. He did it a few times slowly to let me study his hands closely. After a few spins, he began to speed up to where the ends of the bow were just a blur.

I copied his stance of his feet and held the bo out in front of me. I gave the bo a few test spins, not yet grabbing it with my other hand. Something was telling me that I was about to really hurt myself as I watched the wood swing back and forth.

_Here goes nothing, I guess. _

I started to spin the bo and reached to grab it with my other hand. Yokuto watched me closely, bringing his own bo to a stop. Gradually I let the bo build up speed, though not coming as close to speed as Yokuto had been doing. And of course, just as I had started to relax with the bo spinning, my hand missed a spin. It flew out of my other hand, one end hit against the ground, causing the other end to pop up and jab me in the lip.

"Dammit!" I cursed, hopping back from the bo and clutching my hands over my mouth. I could taste blood from where it had split my lip open. I sent a glare at the bo before storming back over to it and snatching it up off the ground. Once again taking the stance I had copied from Yokuto, I started to spin the bo once again while running my tongue over my lip to stop the bleeding. Yokuto chuckled at my reaction as he moved to the large Japanese maple tree to sit in the shade with his tobacco pipe.

For the next few hours he taught me a number of different spins with the bo. With each different technique, came a new set of bruises where I was able to hit myself with the wood. The longer and longer I tried to spin the stupid thing the more and more my arms and grip weakened from the extra weight I was carrying and trying to hold up. The lack of strength that I had caused the bo to slip from my hands more than I'd care to admit to hit me somewhere. No place on my body was safe.

After one particularly sharp slap to the ribs I threw the bo to the ground.

"Screw this!" I hissed, kicking the stick away from me.

"Are you giving up?" Yokuto asked smoothly, a trail of smoke coming from his lips as he regarded me coolly.

"No!" I snapped at him and yanking my fingers through my sweaty and tangled bangs to try and push them out of my face. "I just don't understand why I have to learn to spin a stick!"

Yokuto opened his mouth to say something, but was cut short by a swirling blue light appearing about a yard away from us. I felt Hiei's energy approaching and before I could blink, he was standing in between me and the portal. I ducked around him to look passed him and a voice reached my ears before I saw anything appear from the portal.

"I don't see why I can't just use the shadows to get us there. It would have been faster to do than wait for you to open this portal."

I blinked as a lanky figure stepped out of the portal with a larger figure behind him. Coal colored eyes slid over to us, bringing a growl from the demon in front of me.

"..Tetsuya?" What was he doing here?

"Hiei," Yokuto said stepping forward next to him. "Daelyn's training is done for today. Please take her and stay with her while I figure out what is going on."

With Yokuto's request, Hiei grabbed me by my arm and sneered at the shadow demon. The larger man with him turned to bow to Yokuto. He was nothing but brawn and muscles, with dark hair, dark eyes, tanned skin, and some sort of strange looking blue outfit with shoulder pads. Hiei tugged me once again as I tried to stop and watch what was going on. Tetsuya caught my eye. He grinned brightly at me and wiggled his fingers at me in a wave. I gave him back a hesitant wave.

"Woman," Hiei growled.

"I'm coming," I pouted. "Quit yanking on my arm! It's attached for a reason, and I'd like to keep it that way."

He scoffed and pulled me inside of the temple. I tugged my arm out of his grasp and watched as the three men outside disappeared around the side of the temple. Hiei shut the door blocking my view.

"What's Tetsuya doing here?" I asked him.

"What makes you think I know?" he countered my question while walking off.

"Cause you're a mind reader," I said, following after him. "Duh." He glared down at me as I came up to his side.

"Go bathe," he sneered at me. "You smell disgusting."

"Aren't you a smooth talker," I dead-panned. I scampered away from him as he glared down at me with a warning growl.

I made my way to my room to find that Mi had somehow gotten the door open and was stretched out in the sun coming in from my window. Her eyes slid open and she gave me a quiet mew in greeting as she stretched and fell back asleep.

"Lazy," I muttered. Her ears twitched in response. I rolled my eyes, gathered a change of clothes and bathing things then made my way to the bathroom. I paused at the door. Well, doors. One side was male and one side was female. I hummed and slid open the door for the female side. I hadn't actually been inside the bathing area since I had been at the temple. Yesterday I passed out from sheer exhaustion before I had a chance to shower, and I had woken up late this morning and had to rush to meet Yokuto.

The door had opened to a long hallway. The hallway was stone on the floor, with the same wooden walls and ceiling as the rest of the temple. Down the center of the hall was a half wall made of wood. I followed down it and came to another door that opened up to a..hot spring? The room was made entirely out of cobblestone, but the ceiling was completely open. The trees on the outside of the walls shaded over most of it, but there were some areas that the sun shone brightly through. On one side were shelves that you could put your clothes and clean folded towels. It also had a showering area that you would use to actually clean yourself before soaking in the hot spring. The other side of the room had a wall that was stone at the bottom and wood at the top that separated the other side of the hot springs, probably the male side.

No matter how much I wanted to just simply run and jump into the hot springs, clothes and all, I was filthy. I needed to shower off first. Placing my things on the shelves, I stripped down and grimaced as it felt like I was literally peeling my sweat soaked clothes off of my skin. I took notice of my reflection in a mirror that was in the back of the shelves. I pursed my lips as I leaned forward to look at the damage to my face. My bottom lip was definitely split open. The gash was on the right side of my lower lip, stretching down about half an inch passed my lip, and it was bruising, leaving a splotching mess of purple and yellow.

_That's going to be absolutely beautiful as it heals, _I muttered in my head. With a sigh, I headed for the showers.

The shower felt wonderful on my skin. I scrubbed away the grime and took my time unbraiding my hair. I had to wash it first before trying to untangle it. The shampoo caused more painful tangles in it that I had to spend more time than usual to wash the shampoo out. I had to use two entire handfuls of conditioner to work out the old and new knots without ripping my hair out of my scalp. After rinsing everything off, I tied my hair up into a bun to let it start to dry as I made my way to the actual hot springs.

If the shower felt wonderful before, this was almost pure ecstacy. The hot water soothed the knots in my muscles and eased the aches in my joints and bruises. I settled myself onto one of the stone seats in the springs and with a relaxed sigh, I leaned my head back against the stone floor to stare up into the trees.

My mind wandered to my training. I had gotten so frustrated earlier because I've never been the kind of person to admit that I suck at something. I hated being bad at things. It made me so frustrated when I would try something over and over again and fail every single time. The pain from getting hit with the bo was like the salt in the wound on my pride. Even though I had been dancing my whole life I had terrible hand-eye coordination. So spinning a stick half the width of my arm and almost my exact height wasn't exactly a fun time for me. The fact that Yokuto had been able to do these technical spins, throw the damn thing up in the air mid spin, catch it and go into a different spin just made it so much worse. I realize that he has had years of practice ahead of me but my pride was sensitive.

Watching him do it made me need to do it so much more. And the fact that I couldn't made me want to try harder, which would make me frustrated, which would make it harder for me to do it. I was glad that it had just been Yokuto that saw my humiliation. I was fairly certain I would have died from embarrassment if Hiei had seen me fumble so bad.

My eyes slid shut as Hiei came to my mind. What was his problem? He had been such an ass to me yesterday during my training. Yet he carried me to bed this morning when I had almost completely fell asleep at the table, and something in the back of my mind told me that he was also responsible for getting me into bed after I passed out yesterday from exhaustion.

His energies were even more confusing. The way he acted towards me, seeming like he wanted nothing to do with me and the things he said was completely different than the energy and emotions he was giving off. He would tell me to leave him alone, but when I would leave that darker energy would urge me back and reach out as if it were trying to wrap itself around me. His lighter energy would try and rein in back in, except for on the train ride here where it flared with the darker energy. It was like he was having an inner battle with himself, but I just didn't understand what that battle was.

I didn't even understand my own feelings. At times I was impartial to what he said to me or what he thought about me. But at other times it really hurt my feelings when he would say mean things. Then for some reason, when he touched me it would make me happy. For example when he got irritated with my slow pace up the stairs when we first got here, he muttered something about being slow and carried me the rest of the way. Though I had been irritated that he thought I was slow, it made me almost giddy that he carried me like a middle school girl with her first crush. Then this morning when he carried me back to bed I let his hormonal energies wrap themselves around me instead of trying to push them back. Whether it be because I was too exhausted or something else, I wasn't really sure.

I was such a freak.

With a sigh, I stood from the hot spring and stepped out, wrapping the towel that I had carried over to the edge with me. I dried myself off by the shelves before dressing in a pair of shorts and a tank top. After I untied my hair from its bun, I wrapped it into the towel and carried my dirty clothes and bathing stuff with me back down the hall to the temple. I slid open the door and paused to see Hiei leaning against the wall with his arms crossed directly in front of the door.

His ruby eyes watched me as I made my way to my room to drop off the stuff I was carrying and my towel to wash later. I left my door cracked open so Mi could come and go as she pleased as she was still stretched out in the floor bathing in the sun.

I headed back down the hallway to head for the kitchen. I was absolutely starving. Hiei followed a few paces behind me. As usual, his darker energy was flaring louder than his lighter energy, but I pushed it into the back of my mind. I was too hungry to deal with it right now. In the midst of braiding my hair over my shoulder, I found Yokuto in the kitchen, the smell of cooking food wafting over me. He turned to me as I entered the kitchen, Hiei taking a place at the table in the adjoining room.

"Need any help?" I asked.

"If you'd like," he said with a smile. I nodded and went to work washing the vegetables that he had sitting next to the skin. "I take it you have met this shadow demon?"

"Tetsuya?" I asked. He nodded. "Yeah. He's the one that captured me and took me to Seikatsu. But he also helped Hiei get me out of the castle. He also brought back the antidote."

"He's going to be staying here for the moment," Yokuto said, stirring something in a pot. I felt both Hiei's energies spike behind me. "Koenma believes that he could help with knowledge of your training to help protect you from Seikatsu." His silver eyes slid over to me. "How do you feel about that?"

"Fine, I guess," I answered after a moment. I started chopping celery as my mind worked around what he said. "From what few people I saw in the castle, I can tell that his people aren't bad. He's lied to them about what his plan is, whatever that plan may be. Tetsuya isn't a bad person. He realized that something was wrong and he helped me. That makes him okay in my book."

"You would be right," he nodded. "Koenma had his mind searched. Tetsuya truly believed that he was helping you. When he realized he was wrong then he set to work trying to save you. I can sense that he is a trustworthy person." His eyes twinkled when I looked up at him in confusion. "Call it a sixth sense."

"Where is he?" I asked, not questioning his answer.

"Settling in, most likely. He'll be joining us soon."

As if on cue Tetsuya emerged from the shadow of the dark corner of the kitchen next to me. I startled, narrowly missing my finger with the knife as he smiled brightly at me. In a flash Hiei was standing behind me, a growl coming deep from his chest.

"Don't do that!" I scolded the shadow demon, pointing the knife in his direction. "Next time you'll get stabbed!"

"Sorry," he said with a toothy grin and raising his hands in surrender.

"And you," I said turning to face Hiei. I blinked as I came face to face with his chest, his smell of wood smoke and fire filling my senses. I took a step back with a blush and tried to cover it with a hard look, but I was fairly certain I failed miserably. His ruby eyes were glaring harshly at Tetsuya. "Stop glaring and go sit down." He didn't move and completely ignored what I said. I put a hand on his chest and gave a very slight push to show him I was serious, which the rippling of his muscles with another growl causing the blush on my face to deepen. "I'm serious," I said, snatching my hand away. "Go sit down." He turned his eyes down to me, his glare lessening just a fraction before stepping back and leaning against the wall. "That works too, I guess," I muttered.

"I didn't mean to scare you," Tetsuya said when I turned back to finish chopping the vegetables.

"I'll forgive you so long as you promise not to do it with me in the room," I said looking at him, pointedly through the corner of my eye.

"Deal," he said, grinning once again and rocking on his feet. That broke my sharp stare into a smile. "Thank you for letting me stay with you Yokuto," he said turning to the older man.

"Nonsense," he said, waving him off. "It's nice to have the place finally livened up a bit." I walked the chopped vegetables over to him and he slid them off the chopping board and into a steamer. "Now, you two make yourself useful and set the table while this finishes steaming," he said turning back to look at the two other demons in the room. Yokuto nodded his head towards where the dishes were when Tetsuya sent him a questioning look.

He almost quite literally bounced over to the cabinet to start pulling dishes out. When his arms were full he walked over to the brooding demon leaning against the wall and handed them out to him. Hiei glared sharply at him, which Tetsuya returned with a toothy smile. Yokuto and I watched in silence as Hiei pushed himself away from the wall and peered down at the shadow demon.

..._Has he gotten taller?_ I pondered suddenly. I couldn't remember from before if Hiei was taller than Tetsuya or not. Hiei's eyes flashed over to me and for a moment I saw the black flames licking at the corners of his eyes before he blinked and they disappeared. He looked back to Tetsuya before begrudgingly taking the dishes from him and heading into the dinning room.

I glanced up at Yokuto. He slowly turned his head from the shadow demon who went back to the cabinet to grab a few more things, and glanced down at me. He shrugged and I just shook my head. He pulled a pot off of the stove and poured it into a bowl. It was a stew of some kind. He handed the bowl to me.

"Take this in there. I'll get the rest."

I carried it carefully to the table and sat it down, proud that I was able to do it without burning myself or sloshing it everywhere. I sat at one of the places that had been set at the table. There was another empty place next to me, one to the other side of me at the end of the table and then one across from me. Hiei made a point to sit next to me, refusing to look at either I or Tetsuya who sat across from me. Yokuto appeared through the door way a few moments later and sat two more dishes out.

"Oh!" I exclaimed, standing quickly. "I need to go get Mi. She's probably hungry." I hurried out of the room and hurried down the hall to the hall with where my room was. I was halfway there when Mi pawed out of my room with a big stretch and yawn. She blinked up at me and trotted over. "You hungry, lazy butt?" I asked her. She mewed in response and trailed after me as I headed back to the dinning room. I used a smaller dish to feed her a small serving of stew that she happily started chewing on.

"She's your spirit beast, right?" Tetsuya asked.

"Yeah," I answered, filling my own plate as the boys already had when I had gone to retrieve Mi. Yokuto, I noticed, wasn't really big on traditional. Which I was silently thankful for, because David and I didn't really go by tradition in our house either. So it was kind of homey.

"That's..strange," he said thoughtfully.

"..Why?" I asked hesitantly.

"Spirit beasts don't eat," he explained. "At least, that was my understanding of them. They don't need to. They feed off of your energy."

"Oh," was all I had to say as I looked down at the furry black creature who paid us no mind as she chewed away at a piece of beef. I looked up at Hiei who didn't acknowledge me then to Yokuto.

"That's true," Yokuto said after taking a sip of tea. "I've never seen a spirit beast who eats or even sleeps on their own like her before."

"Well, she's just special then," I said smiling fondly.

The rest of lunch passed with light conversation from Yokuto and Tetsuya, while Hiei sat in silence next to me, his darker energy wrapping itself around me, trying to pull me closer. I ignored it as best as I could, though there was a few times that Tetsuya would make me laugh that it would flare, causing me to look over to him, but he refused to meet my eyes.

I helped Tetsuya clean up the dining room, under Hiei's watchful eye as he stood in the doorway. I could sense that he didn't trust the other demon. Which, I thought was stupid because Tetsuya was part of the reason that I was even standing here. If it hadn't of been for him, I would still be locked away in Seikatsu's castle somewhere in the middle of demon world.

"What are you planning on doing for the rest of the day?" he asked, drawing my thoughts away from Hiei.

"I was kind of thinking of going down to the beach," I told him. "I saw it this morning but I didn't have time to stop and appreciate it."

"Can I come?" he asked, his coal black eyes lighting up like a kid on Christmas morning. "I-I mean," he stuttered and deflating for a moment. "I don't have to if you don't want me to. I just haven't ever seen the ocean before.."

"You've never seen the ocean?" I asked in disbelief, pausing as I was lifting a stack of plates up into the cabinet.

"No," he said meekly, a blush coming to his pale skin.

"Then I have to insist that you come," I stated firmly. I broke into a smile. "Everyone needs to see the ocean at least once in their life."

He visibly brightened and returned my smile eagerly. I felt a low burn come from Hiei at the door way. He was glaring at Tetsuya with a dark expression on his face. Tetsuya, if he even noticed, wasn't phased as he quickly finished putting away the rest of the dishes. He dried his hands off on his pants and had a spring in his step as he followed me through the temple. I heard Mi mewling loudly and I turned to barely catch her as she leaped into my arms.

"You wanna go see the ocean, too?" I asked her. She mewed in response with a loud purr. I scratched her behind her ears and kissed the top of her head as we approached the back door of the temple. Tetsuya opened the door for me and I gave him a smile of thanks which he returned brightly. The afternoon sun was bright and warm as I stepped down the stairs and into the grass with my bare feet. Tetsuya followed after me as I made my way down towards the sandy beach.

Mi leapt from my arms as we got closer. She ran out into the sand and pranced around happily as we followed after.

"It's..beautiful," Tetsuya said as we came to stand at the shore line.

"It is," I agreed as I moved just a little further to let the waves wash over my feet. The water was still really cold from the recent winter, but I paid no mind to it as I watched the water retreat. "My parent's used to take my brother and I every summer," I said, looking out over the water. "It was my favorite part of being out of school. We would go every second week of summer vacation."

He didn't answer, and I really didn't want him to. I closed my eyes as a breeze came off the water, whipping the hair around me that refused to be tamed in my braid. With the breeze I could almost hear the sound of my parents laughter. The roar of the ocean sounding like the rumble from my dad when he would let loose a boisterous laugh that would shake his entire body, caused by the gentle breeze that sounded like my mom's breathy laughter because she _always_ had a problem with her allergies. It was always things like this that reminded me of them. How the rain reminded me of my mom, and horror movies reminded me of my dad. I had never asked David if he had little things that reminded him of our parents.

"Oh!" my eyes flew open. I spun around to face Tetsuya. "I have a question to ask you!"

"What?" he asked hesitantly, his eyes narrowing at me.

"My phone doesn't get reception out here," I told him. "And I don't think Yokuto has a land line. If I wrote a letter, would you be able to take it to my brother? I'd mail it but it'd take a few days.."

"I'd have to ask Yokuto if it would be okay for me to leave," he said, but then he smiled. "But if he says it's okay then sure. I'd be happy to." His smile fell and he pursed his lips. "He's not going to try and stab me with cutlery is he?"

"He might," I laughed, and turned back to the ocean.

"Koenma told me that your hallucinations haven't gotten any better," he said after a few moments of silence. "And that's why you had to come here so soon."

I ran my tongue along the gash in my lip and sighed. "They're..better," I said slowly. "They aren't the same as before."

"What do you mean?"

"Before it was like every few seconds after one would end another would happen, you know?" I paused, trying to figure out the right words. "But these are different. They aren't of the same things. Before it was just gore and twisted things. Now it's things that I'm truly afraid of."

"Like what?" he asked quietly.

"Losing everyone I care about. The hallucinations before I was more freaked out and scared of the brutality of it. The one I had the night I came home I was more scared of the fact that everyone had died," I paused to sigh. "And Seikatsu. I'm scared of Seikatsu." I was amazed at how good it felt to say it out loud. It had been eating away at the back of my mind, but I would have felt weak to tell Hiei because well, it was Hiei, and stupid to tell Yokuto because he was training me to protect myself from him.

"I'm sorry that I kidnaped you and took you there," he said, his voice even quieter than before, almost getting blow away by the breeze. "If I had known.."

"It's okay," I assured him, turning around and shaking my head. "You didn't know. And when you found out, you helped Hiei to get me out. You even got stabbed trying to get the antidote."

"It's not okay, though," he said, clenching his jaw. "You shouldn't have had to go through that. Seikatsu had just talked so highly of you and how you were so beautiful and kind. He said that you were captured by these evil men who were using you for your power. It made me angry that they would do that to you. I'm the one that volunteered to take you to the castle. I was going to watch for a while and wait until the perfect time. But he was right. You are kind and you are beautiful and I just couldn't wait."

I blinked dumbly at his words. _...Did he just..? _A blush rose to my cheeks.

"I'll make up for it, okay? I promise."

"You made up for it for brining me home," I assured him once again, while trying to subdue the blood in my cheeks. "But, if it makes you feel better then, okay."

He smiled brightly at my response then plopped down into the sand. I stepped over to him and sat next to him. Mi, who had been slapping at the water with her paws, ran over and curled into my lap to take a well deserved (so she thought) nap. We stayed there like that for the rest of the afternoon, laughing and talking until the sun started to set over the water. The red and orange sky reflected off the water, quieting us into silence as we watched it sink under the horizon.

And I could feel a burning rage of dark energy.

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><p>TETSUYA. NO. WHAT ARE YOU DOING. DON'T MAKE HER QUESTION HER FEELINGS...;)<p>

I know, I know. I'm an evil evil author. I'm fully ready to be the target of your anger.

I was going to wait until tomorrow to finish this chapter and post it tomorrow night, buuuuuuut, I've kind of had two cups of extra strong chai tea and it's currently 2 in the morning and I'm wide awake. So once this is published, I'm already starting on the next chapter. God help me haha.

ANYWAYS. So, Gravity is so close to one hundred reviews! I honestly never thought that this story would come so far. But you all make this story so worth writing, and I would like to give you all a thank you! When this reaches one hundred reviews, I'm going to put in something a little special for you all in the story. No, I will not tell you what it is because that's what a surprise is supposed to be dammit. A surprise! Would it be too much of me to ask for all of your help to help this story reach one hundred reviews? I hope not. And I really hope it doesn't sound pushy because I really don't want it to be. I just have this perfect scene in mind and I really want to write it in as a thank you to all of you who make this story possible.

If you are interested at all to see what Daelyn is having to learn with her bo staff, I would recommend going to YouTube and watching anything by Jake Mace and his bo staff videos. It's really informative and fun to watch:)

**KK1372**: I like to surprise you all every now and then:) If I get on a good flow with my writing I could literally write all day non stop. Like, to the point where my husband has to tell me to chill out haha. And once I finish a chapter I hate holding off to post it so sometimes the temptation is just too strong and it'll get published the next day. Hiei is definitely going to be a huge influence in her training. Whether that be directly like last chapter, or indirectly, well. We'll just have to wait and see. I love the new title:) I'm glad everyone has been positive about the change.

**dewa95**: I know, I know, he's gotta be an asshole to prove that he's a big bad tough guy, but he just really wants to help. I almost wasn't going to write him in the end! I was just going to kind of..leave her there for the night haha. But I decided that would be too mean, even for me. I'm glad you liked it!

**Heve-chan**: Would the ending of this chapter count as me kicking him in the shins for being mean? Yes? Oops...;) I had a problem updating this story for a long time. I just..couldn't do it for some reason. I was getting frustrated with my writing at the time because it wasn't as good as I wanted it to be. Daelyn and Hiei deserved better from me. So I kept it on the back burner for, what? Three and a half years? Just to get to the point with my writing that I felt it was okay to continue and that's when I started re writing this whole story. Like, if you had read it before you wouldn't believe this was the same story. And even when this particular story ends, it won't be the last you see of Daelyn and Hiei. I have a sister story in the works for a Kurama/OC story once this story ends that Daelyn and Hiei will be main characters in. So no worries! They'll be around for a while. I force myself to sit through the tough moments of writing because I'm afraid if I walk away for it for too long then I won't pick it back up. So I'll take a break for an hour or two, then come back and force myself through it. Daelyn is alot smarter than she leads herself to believe haha. Sometimes she just needs a kick in the ass(shins?). I totally understand your pain. I'm a total spoiler reader, then I get mad at myself when I do. Sometimes I don't mind giving small spoilers out in a PM but the one you asked about is literally one of the big things in this story haha. I just couldn't do it.

**XBloodMageRikaX**: I know, right?! But don't worry. Tetsuya is stepping in to make her feel better about it. Okay, that was mean for me to say. I'm sorry haha.(Not really). I've got some things in store for Dae-dae and her powers that is going to shock the living hell out of Hiei in both good and bad ways. It'll all come in due time. I hope you enjoyed this one!

Thank you for all the favorites, follows, and reviews! Please PM me or leave a review and let me know what you think! And let's get this story to one hundred reviews for a nice little surprise!


	21. Chapter 21

"Denial ain't just a river in Egypt." -Mark Twain

Gravity

Chapter Twenty-one

My head snapped around, looking for the accusing ruby eyed demon giving off that foreboding energy.

"What's wrong?" Tetsuya asked, his eyebrows knitting together in question.

"..Do you not feel that?" I asked, my eyes searching the yard and trees. I couldn't pinpoint the energy. It raged around me like an out of control fire that was licking at my skin, but I couldn't find it's source.

"No?" he said, his voice slow as if he wasn't sure what he should say.

My eyes fell on him as he looked around, his face drawn like he was trying to focus and find whatever I was feeling. I ran my tongue over the spit in my lip as I looked back to the trees. The energy flittered away slowly, leaving my skin to chill into bumps from it's lack of heat as the breeze brushed over my skin. _Am I the only one that can feel his energy do that?_

* * *

><p>I sat at the dining room table with a few sheets of paper and a pen that Yokuto had given me to write my brother. He needed a little convincing to allow Tetsuya to take the letter, but he gave in after Tetsuya promised that he would take it and come back immediately, no questions asked. We decided on a system. I would write a letter, Tetsuya would deliver it and return immediately. Then he would go back in a few days to pick up the letter from David and bring it to me. If David hadn't written a letter for Tetsuya to find immediately, he would come back and try again a few days later. That would give me enough time to focus solely on my training without having to worry about waiting, or replying to a letter.<p>

_David, _was all I had written. I chewed on the tip of the pen while I stared down at the blank page. What was I going to tell him? I had these stupid weights attached to me? I had managed to beat the hell out of myself with a stick? Maybe I shouldn't. It would cause him to worry. I sighed and started writing.

_I'm sorry it's taken me so long to write. I've been busy with my training. My sensei's name is Yokuto, but you probably already knew that. I think you would like him. He does really well at pushing me to be better. He even makes me get up before dawn everyday which is something that not even you could accomplish. I'm sure he's got a few tricks that you'll want to take notes of. I wish I had more teachers like him in school. Except he's always got this weird twinkle in his eye that makes him look like he's up to something. I'm not really sure how I feel about that. But he's a good man, and I'm safe here. I know you were worried. But everything is okay. _

_It's absolutely beautiful here. I wish you could see it. The land around it is covered in forests as far as you can see. There's a beach on the other side of the temple with almost completely snow white sand. All around the temple are sakura and Japanese maple trees that are going to be absolutely gorgeous when they finally start to bloom. The temple even has a hot spring inside of it! It's really quiet here which is something I know you would love. At night I can actually hear the crickets chirping outside my window. Could you even imagine what that's like? There's no sirens, no one is yelling, no car horns. Just the sound of the wind in the trees and the birds chirping. _

_I visited the beach today after my training and watched the sunset. It reminded me of when we used to go the beach with mom and dad during the summers. We should do that when I get back. We haven't gone to the beach together since the accident. I'd really like to go again. _

_Please let everyone know that I miss them and that my training it going fine. In fact, tell Yusuke the next time I see him I'll be able to kick his ass for all those times that he picked on me. I hope you aren't too lonely. Give Shizuru a call if you are. I know that you two have been talking. Don't make that face. Call it a sisterly intuition. _

_I miss you._

With that I folded the letter in half, then half again. I wrote his name in English letters on the front of it. I slid it over to Tetsuya who was sitting across from me at the table. He picked it up with a smile and stood.

"Be right back!" he said perkily. He melted into the shadows, completely disappearing. Before I even had the chance to lean back, he walked through the door way of the hallway into the kitchen. "Told ya!"

"Thanks, Tetsuya," I said, standing with only a little difficulty. I was amazed at how fast I had adjusted to these weights. Was it normal for demon bodies to adapt so quickly? If I had been human with these things I would still be collapsed on the floor in the training room. "Well, I'm going to head to bed. I gotta be well rested for Yokuto to kick my ass tomorrow." I gave him a smile and started to walk passed him, when he reached out to grab my wrist. I looked over my shoulder at him.

"Good night, Daelyn," he said softly, with a ghost of a smile tracing on his face. A blush crept into my cheeks as his eyes slowly traced over my face.

"Good night," I murmured and he let my wrist go. I was barely able to keep myself from literally running down the hall away from the expression on his face. I made it around the corner and leaned against the wall, hiding my face with my hands. _Get it together, Daelyn, _I told myself. _Just because some cute boy tells you that you're beautiful doesn't mean you have to have a crush on him._ But he was the first boy to ever tell me I was beautiful outside of my family, or Seikatsu (who was bat shit insane so he didn't count). I took a deep breath and lowered my hands to fidget with my fingers. How dumb was I? I had a _crush_ on Tetsuya. I mean, how could I not? He was so infectious with his laughter and his happiness. He was also handsome, in a cute boy next door kind of way.

I shook my head and pushed myself away from the wall. I could not be wrapped up in this right now. Training needed to come first. Boy's could come later. Much, much later. I continued making my way to the hall where my room was. As I turned the corner, I felt myself be wrapped into Hiei's darker energy. I looked up from my feet and my eyes fell on demon as he emerged from the door that lead to the shot spring.

My mind tripped over itself to see him just a few feet away from me and shirtless. His eyes slid over to me, the energy flaring when he fully turned to face me. I felt my mouth go dry as he crossed his arms cover his chest and squared his shoulders back. My eyes betrayed me as they raked over his body. He was all muscle. I could trace every dip and curve of the muscle that stretched under his skin. My eyes traveled down from his face, across his toned arms and chest, then further across his abs. As my gaze came to the edge of his dark jeans that hugged closely to his hips and waist, I soon came to realize when people said that the V thing that men had on their hips could turn a girl stupid.

Both his energies flared around me. The lighter energy radiated pride, like it was telling me that he knew I had been dumbstruck at his half naked figure. The darker energy almost swallowed me whole, trailing circles of lust on my skin and whispering promises of things that brought a flush to my skin in my ear. A rumble sounded from deep in his chest, causing me to go weak in my knees. I bit my lip then snapped out of my daze as pain shot through the gash there.

I shook my head and quickly rushed passed him, trying to keep my face hidden from him. I could feel his stare burning into my back as I fumbled with my door, the burning lust radiating from his darker energy trying to pull me back to him. I stumbled into my room and as I turned to slam the door shut behind me, I locked eyes with him. A smirk played on his face, with black flames turning his ruby eyes almost completely dark.

With a slam of the door, I swallowed trying to ease the dryness in my throat. I tried to ignore the budding warmth spreading through the lower regions of my body as I turned and rested my back against the door and then sliding down with a thump to rest my head on my knees. I heard Mi rustle around somewhere in the room.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" I muttered and squeezed my eyes shut. _More so, what the hell is wrong with him?_ _Why am I the only one that can feel this?_ There were a few moments of silence that passed before my head snapped up at a realization. I stared eye-wide but unseeing as to what was in front of me.

I was the only one who could feel it was because it wasn't his energy. The lighter part of the "energy" I was feeling were _his_ emotions. The darker "energy" were the emotions of another being trapped inside of him.

* * *

><p>"You have to learn to wield your weapon before you can expect it to protect you," Yokuto said, standing in front of me while I begrudgingly held the bo in my hands with sweat dripping from my face after my morning warm up of one hundred laps around the temple. "You must learn to 'spin the stupid stick' before you can further your skills with it and learn to appreciate it."<p>

"I never called it stupid," I grumbled.

"You were thinking it," he countered. I didn't argue with that as I shot him a bland look that he returned with a knowing smile. "You must learn that frustration will get you no where. Frustration causes you to stand in one place wishing for something to change. If you must feel anything other than peace while learning to wield your weapon, let it be anger. Anger will urge you to move forward to prove that you can do it."

"So, you're telling me to hulk out then?" I asked, raising the bo up in front of me to begin a forward spin.

"If you'd like to think of it like that," he said bemused while watching my hands. "Transition to third spin."

I clenched my jaw and let the bo spin just a few moments longer before pulling back my left hand to try and spin with only my right. As my hand retracted I was unable to slow the bo enough and it smacked across my knuckles with a loud pop, and flew out of my hands. A hiss of pain escaped me as I rubbed my knuckles into the palm of my other hand.

"You're thinking to hard about it," Yokuto said, reaching down to grab the bo off the grass. "You know the spins. Transitioning between them needs to be second nature and come fluidly. Try again," he said handing the bo back to me.

I gripped it with a sigh and tried to clear my mind as I started to spin it in a front spin again. It was easier said than done to not think about it when I was worried it was going to hit me in the face again. After a few nonexistent heart beats I tried once again to fall into a third spin. I managed to successfully to pull my hand back, but I over corrected with my arm and the end of the bo stabbed into my shin. I clenched my teeth hard enough to almost give myself a head ache while closing my eyes and tucking my shin behind my calf to ease the pain. I gripped the staff tightly enough that my fingers throbbed. I took a moment to take a few deep breaths to calm myself down.

After I felt like I was calm enough to not snap the stupid stick in half, I fell back into position and tried, once again, to transition from first spin to third spin. Before I could even try to switch spins, my fingers fumbled with the staff and it slipped from my hand. I dodged my face away from the end that popped up, having learned my lesson from the split in my lip. It ended up missing my face but slapping against my collar bone and shoulder. I let out a stream of curses as I glared down at the stick in the grass, laying there as if it were completely innocent.

"You're getting frustrated," Yokuto observed.

"No, I'm not," I snapped. He smiled at my response.

"Daelyn, I chose this weapon for you because of your dancing," he said.

"What of it?" I grumbled, snatching the stupid stick off the ground.

"Think of this as a part of your dancing," he explained.

"This is not like dancing," I scoffed. "Dancing is easy. This is stupid."

"Dancing is easy for you because you practiced until it was easy," he said with a smile at my attitude which caused me to scowl. "What do you do to prepare yourself before you dance?"

"I close my eyes," I said jabbing the end of the bo into the dirt. "I let the music drown out my thoughts. And then I just move." He pulled something out of his pocket. I watched as he unraveled the gold ribbon I had covering my eyes on my first day of training. He stepped behind me and placed the ribbon over my eyes, plunging me into darkness as he tied the two ends together behind my head. He pulled my arms up and twisted my hand to hold the bo horizontal to the ground for a first spin.

"Spin it," he said, lowering his hands from my arms and I heard him step away. I sighed and did as he instructed. "Now, focus on the sound of your bo spinning. Don't worry about the movement. Just listen." I did as he asked. I let bo spin faster and faster until I could hear it slicing through the air. Once I heard that I focused solely on the noise of it as it became methodical in my ears. I only barely picked up on him saying "Fourth spin."

I transitioned without doubting myself. My hands moved in one fluid motion, twisting it into a new direction. I felt a grin break out on my face but pushed it away. I needed to keep focusing on the sound of the staff spinning. I could celebrate later. My body moved like water with the staff, the methodical sound of it turning into a beat that I could move with.

It was like my body had been doing this for years. I didn't question myself as the bo was shifted from hand to hand, spinning forwards and backwards, over my head and behind my back. I didn't dare try throwing it and catching it again like Yokuto had, but this was well enough for me right now.

I was completely out of breath, with my tongue sticking to the roof of my mouth from thirst before I let the bo fall still and yank the ribbon down off my eyes. I came to realize that I was alone, and the sun was setting. _How long have I been out here?_ I wondered, glancing around to see if I really was alone. With the bo still gripped in my hand I hesitantly made my way to the temple. I found Yokuto sitting on the steps, much in the same manner of how he was when I first met him.

"How do you feel?" he asked, the trail of tobacco smoke curling up from his lips as his eyes slid open to look at me.

"Tired," I answered, wiping my free hand across my forehead. "But good. I'm proud of myself."

"Good," he smiled. "Keep that ribbon with you. I have a feeling that depriving your senses of sight is going to help you a lot. Now, go get something to eat and rest. Tomorrow is going to be painful."

I pursed my lips and nodded. I did not like the sound of that. My feet carried me back to my room where I found Mi chasing her toys around across the floor. She mewled happily at me and pranced over to rub against my legs.

"Hey," I said kneeling down to pet her, after I leaned my bo next to the door. She leaned deeply into my hand as I scratched her behind the ears. "You hungry?" I asked her. She mewed in response and nibbled lightly at my fingers. I picked her up and made my way to the kitchen with her kneading into my shoulder. Although I didn't sense Hiei in his room, I walked by his door faster than my usual pace and made an effort to not look at the door. Since my realization last night I hadn't seen him. There had been a few times while I was running that I could sense him in the tree line, but I made the effort to ignore him. I was not ready to deal with that. Not that I knew how to deal with it anyway.

Once in the kitchen I gathered two small bowls for Mi, filled one with water, and the other with some canned chicken and let her begin to eat as I searched for something for myself. My mind wandered back to Hiei. How was I supposed to deal with this anyway? Was I supposed to just walk up to him and call him out on it? I could only imagine that conversation. "Hey, what's up with those crazy feelings that you're feeling towards me? Cause what your feeling and how your acting are different and I'd just like to know how you really feel." That was laughable. It's not like I would get an answer from him anyway. He'd probably just scoff or grunt at me and ignore me, electing that my question was too stupid to answer. He could be so annoying! And hormonal! It was like for a few hours I would think that we were decent with each other, maybe even friends then on the flip of a switch he was glaring at me and calling me pathetic, then he would mood swing again to moments like last night that would make my head spin, leaving even more confused than before.

"You know nothing is going to magically appear in that cabinet the longer you stare at it, right?" A voice came behind me. I blinked and turned my head to look over my shoulder where Tetsuya was smiling brightly at me.

"O-oh," I said blushing and closing the cabinet. "I got lost in thought. How long have you been standing there?"

"A few minutes," he chuckled. He came over to lean against the cabinet next to me as I pulled out a loaf of bread from another cabinet and a few other things from the fridge for a sandwich after I decided that I didn't want to bother cooking anything. "What were you thinking so deeply about?"

"Things," I said, blushing even further. "You might not want to stand so close to me. I probably smell. I haven't bathed yet."

"Nonsense," he said waving my remark away with his hand. "I've been waiting to talk to you all day, but you've been busy training," he continued. My ears picked up a faint accent in his words that I hadn't noticed before.

"Me?" I asked. "Why have you been wanting to talk to me?"

"I'll tell you so long as you tell me what you were thinking about," he answered with a smile.

"I guess we're at a stand still then," I said, pursing my lips, then returning his smile as he laughed.

"I'm going to go and check if your brother wrote a letter for you tomorrow," he said following me to the table.

"Thank you," I said happily. "What did he do when he saw you? I forgot to ask you last night."

"He wasn't there," he answered, leaning his cheek against his fist. "I left it on the coffee table for him to see when he walked through the door though. Did you tell him to leave the letter where I could find it easily?"

"No," I admitted. "But he's smart. He'll figure it out."

"I hope so," he said. His coal eyes slid up from the table to look at me. "I don't want to have to disappoint you tomorrow if there's no letter for me to give you. I don't want to make you upset."

"You won't," I said blushing and averting my eyes away from him. "David works a lot. There's no guarantee that he's even been home."

"But it would still disappoint you," he stated matter-of-fact. "You can't argue with that."

"Yeah," I sighed. "It's dumb but my brother and I are really close. We haven't spent this much time apart since he became my guardian."

"It's not dumb," he assured me. "He's your brother and you love him. It's nothing to be ashamed of."

"I only love him some of the time," I said with a laugh, trying to lighten the mood. "Most of the time he's just a pain in my ass." He met my laughter with a chuckle of his own. "Well, I'm going to go and bathe then probably get some sleep," I said standing.

"If you get done with training early enough tomorrow, would you like to go on a walk with me?" he asked. "I was going to explore the grounds and find out what hall Yokuto has tucked away and hidden in that forest of his," he went on with a smile.

"Sure," I said while feeling my ears grow warm. "I'd like that."

"Good!" he said brightly. "I'll see you tomorrow then. Good night."

"Good night," I murmured and hurried passed him with Mi quick at my heels. I made it to my room without running into an incident (read Hiei) and gathered the things I needed for a bath. Mi laid out on my pillow after kneading her a comfortable place as I left the room, leaving it cracked for her to get in and out should she want to.

It was dark now. The stars were twinkling through the areas that the trees didn't cover over the hot spring. There were no electric lights, but instead I saw lanterns that I hadn't noticed before. I found a box of matches sitting next to one of them and lit just the few that I needed. As I undressed to shower I stared up at the empty spaces that the branches from the trees didn't cover. Being so far away from a populated area meant that there wasn't hardly any light pollution. The stars were shining brighter than I had ever seen them. David and I lived so close to Tokyo that besides the moon, you couldn't see anything in the night sky except for airplanes.

I showered quickly, wanting to hurry to soak in the hot spring. My muscles were staring to ache from spinning my bo all day and I wanted to make sure I wasn't too sore for training tomorrow. Especially after Yokuto's warning, and with that mischievous twinkle in his eye that he always had something told me that "painful" was going to be a big understatement.

I didn't stay in the hot spring for very long, just staying in long enough to ease the tightening in my muscles. After I dressed, I put out all of the lamps and made my way back to my room. Once in my room I flopped down on the futon and rested my face against Mi's body drawing a purr from her. Sleep soon captured me.

* * *

><p>The sun flowers were as vibrant as before. I didn't have any time to take in my surroundings before a figure began to appear in front of me, setting my spin stiff and straight. My jaw clenched tightly as I started to back away from the blue haired demon standing in front of me.<p>

"It's been too long, Daelyn," Seikatsu said with a strange smile splitting across his face. "I'm sorry I didn't come and visit you sooner. You see, when you disappeared to your teachers temple I had a hard time finding you."

"Just leave me alone," I said, trying to sound a lot harsher than I actually did. My words came out in a quiet whisper.

"Why would I go and do something like that?" he asked, closing the space between us. "I had you in my care before. It was a fluke that Tetsuya was able to get you out, along with that demon. I do plan on getting you back." He ran his finger across my jaw and smiled down at me. "I just wish you wouldn't fight me. I only want what's best for you."

"And what's best for me is for you to leave me alone," I said yanking my face away from him and glaring at him.

"I gave you life, Daelyn," he said darkly. "I can very easily take it back."

"But you won't," I scoffed.

"That's true," he hummed. "I've grown fond of you." His eyes slid over my face as he smirked. "I should have realized that Tetsuya would betray me. His heart is too soft."

"He's just not blind enough for be fooled by you," I said jumping to his defense. "I'm sure your people wouldn't be so fond of you if they knew you weren't the man that you're telling them you are."

"Probably not," he chucked lightheartedly. "But that doesn't matter. You'll come to see my ways soon enough. I'll just have to force your hand and make you come to me."

Before I could open my mouth to respond I felt a warm energy appear behind me. Seikatsu's face darkened, his lilac eyes narrowing as he looked over my head. I felt a warm hand grab around my arm and yank me back. My back collided with something hard and warm.

"I applaud you, fire demon," Seikatsu chuckled, with his face twisted into a dark grin. "You've gone so long without a taste of her. How is that dragon fairing for you?" Hiei growled behind me. I could feel the rumble through my own body. Seikatsu's gaze lowered to meet my eyes. "I'll see you soon, my Queen. Please, if I may ask, don't let him wrap you into his wants. I don't like sharing." With that, he smiled and faded away.

Hiei stepped away from me. A chill came across my skin as the warmth of his body left me. I turned to look at him and froze. He was staring down at me, with a blank expression, his ruby eyes tracing over my face. His hands were shoved in his pockets in the usual manner. Everything about him was normal except for the black flames swirling around his right arm that was covered in the bandages that I had always seen him wear. The flames were licking across his skin, then twirling out towards me before disappearing in a never ending dance.

"What," I breathed. "Is that?" I saw his stance stiffen immediately as he saw what I was staring at. He didn't answer me. The flames grew bigger and started moving faster. "Hiei?" I asked, my eyes tearing away from his bandaged arm and to his face. His jaw was clenched tightly. His expression was torn, between what? I wasn't sure.

"Wake up," he said finally.

* * *

><p>My eyes flew open and my body snapped up to sit, disturbing Mi which she protested grumpily. I was alone, and still in my room. My eyes fell on the window and horror quickly over came me as I saw the first rays of light coming over the horizon.<p>

"Shit!" I cursed, scrambling to my feet. Yokuto was going to be _pissed._ I rushed to get ready, yanking on a pair of shorts, and then I decided that I didn't have enough time to try and find a shirt, so I went with just my sports bra that I had fallen asleep in. I rushed out of the room, and grabbed the gold ribbon and my bo as I went, and ran outside.

Yokuto was sitting on the steps of the patio with his legs crossed, leaning back on one arm while the other held his pipe to his mouth. He turned his head to look at me with one molten eye.

"You're late," he stated.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled, "I over slept."

"Clearly," he answered. "Start your laps. I expect you to be done with them an hour earlier than yesterday."

"But I'm already an hour behind!" I exclaimed incredulously my jaw dropping open.

"Then you shouldn't have over slept," he said simply, turning to look back out over the forest.

I thought about protesting further, but then decided that it was probably in my best interest that I didn't. So, grudgingly, I leaned the bo against the temple, hung the ribbon off the top of it and headed down the steps. I gave a few moments to braid my hair, then stretch my arms over my head and stretch my legs before setting off and a much faster speed than I had been doing for the last two days. I very quickly realized how much this was going to suck.

As the sun started to rise into the sky, I had to keep pushing myself to not slow down. A nitch in my side was making itself well known, and my legs were quivering with every step. I could feel Yokuto's eyes watching me closely as I ran passed him counting with each pass what lap I was on.

On lap forty-seven I passed by Tetsuya who flashed me a smile. I gave him a half-hearted wave, with the hand that wasn't clenched into the nitch in my side. I was barely close to being half way done, and the sun told me I only had an hour left before I needed to be done. With a groan I picked up my pace even faster. I was honestly afraid of what Yokuto would make me do if I didn't make it in time.

I wanted nothing more than to just collapse into a heap on the grass and catch my breath. I knew if I did that though, Yokuto would probably get even more pissed than he already was. Lap after lap, I counted in groups of five. At lap sixty I only needed to do five more laps eight more times which was ten laps four times. The sun seemed like it was racing me as it got higher into the sky, and we were neck in neck. Sweat was pouring off of me, the cramp in my side worsening with every step, and I had long since lost my breath, but I refused to let the sun beat me.

On lap ninety-nine, I kicked it into high gear, using ever last drop of energy in my reserve to sprint as fast as I could. As I bounded around the temple, I slid around the corners almost losing my footing each time, but I was determined to stay on my feet and finish.

When I finally passed Yokuto for the hundredth time, I fell to the ground with a thump while gasping for air. I rolled over to my back, and held my arm over my eyes to block the sun as my lungs fought to gather as much oxygen as they could. I heard Yokuto approach me. He tossed the bo to me, landing it directly next to my head. I didn't have to hear him tell me to get up. I could sense by his mood that he was still irritated that I was late. So, while still trying to catch my breath I reached for the bo and stood. I took the ribbon from him that he was holding out to me.

"Now that you've learned to wield your weapon, you need to learn to use it to block and attack," he said, stepping back. He pulled the pair of tonfa that he had the second day of training and spun them in his hands. "The bo can be used to swing, stab and trip for your attacks. Your spins are your best bet to deter your opponent from attacking, though that usually only works for weaker fighters and lower level demons. A stronger fighter won't see your weapon as anything other than a pair of fists and it will not stop them from attacking you. That is when you must block. Understand?"

I nodded and raised the staff into the position that Yokuto had me memorize. Feet far apart, right arm gripping the staff at my hips, and my left arm level with my shoulder holding the other end and gripped tightly.

"When I attack you, I will not go easy on you. So prepare yourself. This will hurt."

* * *

><p>So am I the only one that laughed at the opening quote? Yes? Okay haha.<p>

Dun dun dunnn Seikatsu had made his reappearance! I couldn't go too long without adding him in there. He's just an ass like that and forces himself into the story. I have nothing to do with it. Cough.

Dae-dae has a crushhh. How sweet. And Hiei goes all "I'm sexy and _you_ know it" on her when he gets jealous. Or does he even realize he's jealous? Only time will tell my friends. Only time will tell.

We didn't quite make it to one hundred reviews, but that's okay:) I think we can do it this time. I was going to hold off on posting this chapter for another day but, I've been pretty consistent with my updates and I'd like to keep it that way. I think all of you are pretty happy with the every other day updates? If you'd like me to slow down a little bit so you have time to read them as they come out just let me know and I'll try and contain myself on my updates haha. I just get excited and I want to get it published for you all.

I've updated my profile with an actual summary of Gravity and kind of the back story behind it. So if you're interested in that at all, you should go and check that out:)

**Mediocre Dunces**: Thank you! I was trying my hardest to keep her training true to the series. I went through and watched all of Genkai's training episodes to get some ideas. More of those will show up sooner or later. I can't give out everything in her training in just a few chapters, you know? It won't seem believable. Even if these training methods are kind of unbelievable themselves but it is Yu Yu Hakusho we're talking about haha.

**morbidpeach**: You're too kind:). I'm happy that you're enjoying my writing so much. It makes it worth writing it, you know? I'm glad that I could help inspire you to try out your own story! I hope that you continue to enjoy this fic.

**KK1372**: So close! But it's okay, we'll get there! I got some sleep eventually haha. Though it may have been the next night but we won't talk about that. Cough. Jealous Hiei is definitely about to make his appearance. It's definitely going to be interesting to see. And what can I say? I love Tetsuya. If Hiei wasn't around to poke at her feelings and confuse her, who's to say what could happen..?;) Their developing relationship is definitely amusing to write. Daelyn with her confused self and Hiei with his manliness is definitely a fun combination haha.

**Hakudoushi-9**: But why would she want to run? I mean, who know's what a jealous Hiei could end up doing?;)

**Aly Goode**: I do what I can, my dear haha. I try and make everyone's wishes come true:). Her training is definitely about to be amped up. I absolutely adore Yokuto and there's a reason behind that haha. Tetsuya staying with them was something that I didn't really come up with until I wrote him. Originally I was going to have him just going to be a once in a while character, buuut, characters just kind of create themselves sometimes, you know? And do you see what you made me do? You said that you imagined him with an accent and then I had to go and write it in somehow dammit. That's okay though. I really feel like it fits him haha. Kurama definitely needs some love and his nikko will give him just that. (Oh goodness. Was that a spoiler I just dropped? I will never tell.) A show down just may be in the near future but who knows? These characters write themselves, I'm telling you. I'll have an idea and they just go "Nope, not today, I'm gonna go do this now."

**XBloodMageRikaX**: I'm glad you like Tetsuya! He's so much fun to write and we need someone in there stirring the pot between the two love birds to give them a kick in the right direction. A jealous Hiei is an unpredictable Hiei, so who knows what could happen?;)


	22. Chapter 22

I have a much much much better picture of Daelyn now uploaded to my deviant art page. So please, go check it out. The link is in my bio:)

* * *

><p>"Mistakes are the portals to discovery." -James Joyce<p>

Gravity

Chapter Twenty-Two

Yokuto was not kidding when he said he wasn't going to go easy on me.

Him and his stupid spinning tonfa were kicking my ass. Out of the hundreds and hundreds of swings he took at me, I was able to barely manage blocking about a dozen of them. Each time I tried to hit him he would move like fluid and dodge away before coming in and hitting me in the sides where I was open from my swing. Then no matter how hard I tried or how fast I felt like I moved, I could not counter his attack. I was fairly certain I had spent most of the day trying to clear the stars from my eyes from each of his blows.

After actually managing to block a jab that he tried to make towards my stomach, he swung the tonfa up and brought both of them down to hit me in the shoulders. I fumbled with the bo to lit it with both of my hands over my head to protect myself from the pain. The two tonfa made a loud crack against the bo sending shockwaves down my arms, but I held strong to the bo with a grimace. He twisted one of the tonfa in his hands and locked it around the bo and with a hard yank, ripped it from my grasp. Before I could recover, he spun and landed a hit square against the center of my back which made me topple over, face first into the grass. I gritted my teeth as I laid there while trying to ignore the pain until it faded.

"Get up," Yokuto told me while leaning over me.

"No," I groaned. "You're just going to hit me again."

"Of course," he said, chuckling. I rolled over to glare at him. "How do you expect to get better if I don't?"

"You could actually tell me how to attack with the damn thing," I muttered.

"I am not a master of the bo staff," he said smiling. "I learned through the years of watching fighters use it to learn how to spin one. I, myself, do not know how to use one in battle. You must be the one to condition your body to your weapon. You have to learn how to wield it in the best way for you. I can not help you develop your own style hands on." He leaned back as I sat up.

"You mean to tell me you're trying to teach me how to use something that not even _you_ know how to use?" I asked humorlessly.

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying," he said with that twinkle in his eye as his hands spinning the two tonfa expertly. "I know enough to teach you the basics. That's what I did. The rest of it is up to you."

"That's encouraging," I grumbled. I pushed my bangs out of my face and stood, pulling the bo up with me.

"You're thinking about it too hard," he said as he stepped back. "Stop thinking so much. Just do what feels right."

"That's kind of hard to do when you keep leaving bruises," I stated while kicking my the tip of my shoe against the ground.

"Well then stop me from hitting you," he laughed. "It's that easy."

"Yeah, yeah," I breathed. "Whatever." I raised my bo to my usual stance and Yokuto took his own. A thoughtful look crossed his face and he lowered his stance. Suspicion came over me as I narrowed my eyes at him. I didn't trust him to not attack me if I lowered my guard.

"We're finishing early today," he said, tucking the tonfa into the sash at his waist. "I need to go and do some research before we continue on with your training. Be here before dawn tomorrow," he continued, turning on his heels to head back to the temple He paused and turned his head to look at me with one molten eye. "And don't be late."

I swallowed at his seemingly non threatening command, but his tone was clear as day. Don't be late or I would very seriously regret it. I sighed and lowered my stance, rolling my hand that held the bo. What the hell was he up to? And what did he need to research? I shook my head. I would find out soon enough. Right now I needed to go clean up and go find Tetsuya. He would be excited to know how early I got out of training.

As I started to head back to the temple, movement caught my eye in the branches of one of the willow trees. I glanced up and yelped in surprise causing Hiei's ruby eyes to slide open and peer down at me. He was sitting on one of the thicker branches, his back pressed up against the trunk of the tree, his legs crossed and stretched out in front of him with his arms crossed over his chest.

"What the hell, Hiei?!" I exclaimed up at him, leaning forward to lean against my knees. "I'm pretty sure if my heart was still beating you would have just given me a heart attack!"

"Stop screeching woman," he snapped.

"Have you been up there all day?!" I questioned loudly, ignoring his insult. Had he seen Yokuto beating on me so bad all day? I was thankful for the fact that I was over heated because my face was already red. _Of course he hasn't_, I assured myself to ease my embarrassment. _I would have felt his...whatever the hell it was._

He slowly stood in the tree his eyes never breaking from mine. He stepped off the branch and, even with his size he landed silently on his feet. He stepped closer to me, but I stood my ground and scowled at him. I was not going to let him scare me off, dammit. Just because his stupid emotions were hormonal like a girl going through PMS doesn't mean I should be wary of him.

"And if I was?" his deep voice rumbled. My mouth went dry as one of his eyebrows slowly lifted and a faint smirk played on his lips. The darker entity reached out for me, brushing gently against my skin.

I was certain that even though I was already flushed from being over heated my face turned as bright as a tomato. Why? Because that's when I realized I was wearing rather short shorts, and a sports bra in broad daylight with the most attractive demon, and man, I had ever met standing in front of me. I fumbled for my words, wanting nothing more than to get away from this situation. My fight or flight response had done a complete one-eighty from fight to get the fuck out of there _now_. I mumbled something that even I couldn't understand and I brushed by him. I didn't look back to see if he was watching me as I hurried up the stairs and into the temple.

Once I was sure I was out of his sight I let out a sigh. _What is wrong with me? _I thought. _It's just Hiei._ Something in the back of my head whispered _"exactly_" back to me. I quickly pushed those thoughts away. I was not about to board that crazy train, no matter how good looking he was.

I turned the corner for the hallway that my room was in and found Tetsuya heading down the same hallway towards me. He looked up at me and smiled brightly. He quickened his pace to me.

"Is your training over already?" he questioned, his coal eyes filled with hope.

"Yeah," I answered. "Yokuto wants to do some research on something before we go any further."

"Awesome!" he beamed. "Do you still want to go on a walk with me?"

"Just let me clean up and grab something to eat," I said, nodding. "Won't take me long."

"Oh! Before you go!" he said quickly, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out an envelope. It read _Daelyn_ in David's neat English writing. I took the letter from him with a large grin.

"Thank you!" I said excitedly. I threw my arms around him and hugged him while clutching onto the letter in one hand and the bo in the other. He stiffened and I quickly drew back. "O-oh," I stuttered, my ears burning. "I'm sorry. I just got excited.."

"It's okay," he laughed. "You just surprised me is all. I'm glad I could make you smile," he said, giving me one of his own smiles which made my ears burn hotter. "We'll meet up in about an hour?"

I agreed and we parted ways. Once in my room I found Mi sleeping in the sunlight coming from the window. I shook my head at her with a small laugh while leaning the bo next to the door. I leaned on the wall next to it and tore open the flap to the envelope and pulled the notebook paper out of it and unfolded it with hands shaking in excitement.

_Well, first off, I'd like to ask how you managed to get your letter inside of the house while being nine hours away. But I've decided that I really just don't want to know. _

_Yes, should I come to actually meeting Yokuto I will definitely have to get some pointers from him as to how to get you out of bed. Heaven knows I tried for years to get you up at a decent hour instead of becoming nocturnal. I'm glad that you're connecting well with him. I know that was always the best way for you to learn, was to connect with the teacher who was teaching the subject. _

_You're making it very tempting to sell everything and move, sis. Especially considering that I was woken up seven times last night from different sirens around the city. It's hard for these old bones to resist the idea of a private hot spring. Have you had the chance to visit Misawa? It's quite beautiful there. It's populated enough to be considered a medium sized town, but its minuscule compared to Tokyo. _

_I think making time to go to the beach would be something that we could definitely find some time to do, even just for the weekend. Hopefully you'll be home before summer ends so we can go. How far along have you come with your training?_

_Everyone misses you here as well. Keiko wanted to write you a letter, but I asked her to let me ask you if that was okay first. I know you need to focus on your training. Yusuke also sends his regards saying that your challenge is accepted and to prepare yourself for a good beating. Should I be worried? And I should have you know that Shizuru and I had dinner together the night before I got your letter, thank you very much. I'm pleased to know that my personal life interests you. How are you and Hiei by the way? _

_It's quiet here without you. Come home soon. I miss you too._

I read the letter over a few more times, smiling at his words, that smile fading when he jabbed me about Hiei and then returning with his final few sentences. How was it that he knew how to get under my skin even through writing on a piece of paper? I even really just concerned about him being at the house by himself! I folded the letter up and put it in the single drawer in the night stand. I would write him in return later tonight or tomorrow. Right now I needed to bathe. Mi was dead to the world, her ears twitching in her sleep as I moved around her to gather clothes. I had left my bathing stuff on one of the shelves. I was the only girl here, so why not?

I just quickly showered and didn't bother with soaking. I knew I was going to regret that later after I inspected all the lumps and bruises on my body, but I would get over it. After toweling off, I dressed quickly in a pair of leggings with a tank top and a light jacket that fell to my mid thigh.

I wish I had something else to wear to at least not look frumpy in front of Tetsuya if I didn't have to be, but literally all I had besides two pairs of ratted jeans were t-shirts, tank tops, leggings, running shorts and sweat pants. I had my navy dress, but that was definitely something that I wasn't going to go trekking through the forest with. Just because I was a demon now doesn't mean that I enjoyed getting eaten by bugs and scratched with sticks.

It was still strange to consider myself a demon. Besides the fact that my heart wasn't beating I felt the exact same. My hearing and my eye sight was better than before, but I had gotten used to that pretty quickly and it just felt normal to me now. I didn't feel super powerful or evil, like I could take over the world. I just felt like..me.

Mi was waiting for me in the kitchen. She mewled at me in greeting while bumping her head on my shins.

"I should probably ask Hiei or Tetsuya to feed you though the day, shouldn't I?" I asked her while leaning down to pet her. She mewed in agreement and purred loudly. I went to the cabinet and pulled out a can of chicken. It was becoming pretty clear that chicken was her favorite food no matter how it was prepared. I opened into her bowl and refilled the other one with water. Once she was settled into eating I skimmed through the fridge and cabinet and settled on some fruit. The fridge was clearing out quickly and didn't have much to choose from. I would have to ask Yokuto if he would let me go into town to do some shopping.

I was eager to go and find Tetsuya so I ate quickly. Mi was in the process of cleaning herself when I finished and stood from the table.

"Do you want to go on a walk with Tetsuya and I?" I asked her. She paused in her cleaning to blink up at me with her blue eyes. She mewled and padded passed me with a yawn. "We're going to have to talk about your activity level," I said smiling at her. "You're too lazy for your own good." I followed after her to the hallway outside of the dining room. She picked up her pace suddenly and my eyes followed her until she leaped into the arms of Hiei. I scowled at her as he let her crawl up on his shoulders. "You are such a traitor,"I said blandly and pointedly refusing to meet Hiei's gaze. Why was he suddenly so okay with letting her be around him? Didn't he think it was baby sitting? And why was I feeling his smug pride radiating off of him?

"You ready to go?" came Tetsuya's voice behind me.

I turned to him and nodded which he returned with a bright smile. I followed after him as we headed to the front door. I felt Hiei's smugness turn into something that I couldn't place. The darker being twisted in agitation as I retreated away from him. I could feel his gaze burning into the back of my head, but I refused to turn and look at him as I slipped my shoes on. I was still definitely not above running away from my problems.

* * *

><p>Hiei watched as the girl laughed at something the shadow demon said and leave through the front door with him. Mi mewled sadly on his shoulder as her ears and head drooped, which for some reason made him even angrier than he already was because of her spending so much time with the shadow demon. But the anger he felt was almost nothing compared to the jealousy and rage coming from his dragon that was painfully curling under his skin.<p>

He waited for a few moments for their energy to head into the forest before he followed after. He told himself that it was because it was his job to make sure she didn't do anything stupid or get captured again. Mi stayed balanced on his shoulders with ease as he leaped from branch to branch, masking his own energy and silently urging the dragon to pull back it's own energy so he could watch them without either of them sensing him. The dragon understood his reasoning and withdrew into him.

The girl had been embarrassed this morning when she thought that he had seen her struggling with training, which he had been watching since she had to complete her laps. When he read in her mind that she was even more embarrassed that he was seeing her in a "sports bra" it caused a pleased purr from his dragon. She hadn't been bothered by Yokuto or Tetsuya seeing her like that. Nudity was a norm in Demon World so the three of them had thought nothing of her clothes. But since she was raised as a human, a prude species, it embarrassed her. He knew from his time spent in human world that there was a reason that she was embarrassed by him seeing her that way, and the dragon knew it as well.

His attention was drawn to the two when he heard his name come into their conversation.

* * *

><p>"So," Tetsuya said, helping me over a large rock that blocked our path. "Mi seems to have taken quite the liking to Hiei."<p>

"She's a traitor," I muttered.

"A person's spirit beast is drawn to the person that their master is most attached to," Tetsuya said slowly. "Is..there something going on between you and Hiei?"

I stumbled over a small rock when he asked. Did I feel something strongly enough to make Mi become drawn to him? Was that why she didn't want to come with us on our walk? I mean, I thought he was attractive, but who wouldn't? He was everything a woman ever dreamed of, tall, dark, and handsome. There was something mysterious about him that made me want to find out exactly what he had to hide, but that dark energy of his told me that whatever it was that he was hiding, once I found it, it wasn't going to let me go. And that both excited and scared me. I couldn't tell exactly which one I felt more.

I did enjoy spending time with him, for some unknown reason. Even when he was brooding over something or saying something mean. I always felt warm when I was with him. His lighter energy drew me in like a moth to a flame, urging me closer and closer until I finally touched the flame then his darker energy would take over wrapping me in a heat that seemed to light my body with a fire that I hadn't ever felt before. Whatever it was, it made me feel alive.

My face fell as my thoughts wandered. Things suddenly just became a lot more confusing.

"Daelyn?" Tetsuya said quietly. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked. It's none of my business."

"N-no," I stuttered, shaking my head. "It's okay. I just..I'm really confused about everything right now," I told him with a sigh. "Hiei is..complicated. I feel something for him I just don't...know what that something is. And I know that I'm an empath but I don't know what he feels about me." I looked over at him. His expression was slightly surprised. "I'm just really confused about all of it."

"I see," he said quietly and pursed his lips. "..Do I have a chance?" he asked after a moment.

I traced the healing split in my lip with my tongue as he stared at me with hope in his eyes. I let out a quiet sigh and ran my fingers through my hair that I hadn't bothered to braid.

"I'm not going to lie to you," I said finally. "I don't know. If you had asked me before I would have said yes, but.." I trailed off. "Until I figure out what is going on between Hiei and I, I just don't know."

"I can still try, can't I?" he asked, smiling and rocking on his feet.

"I don't want it to ruin our friendship," I said quietly.

"I won't let it," his said his smile brightening. "If I can't be in your life in that way, well, I still want to be a part of your life anyway. I still owe you, remember?"

"Okay," I said, forcing myself to return his smile.

"Come on," he said, grabbing my hand and leading me further down our path. "I think I hear water this way!"

I let him pull me with him as he almost bounced along. My mood was completely dampened as I listened to his excited chatter. How was I supposed to handle this? I couldn't just walk up to Hiei and ask him how he felt about me. Could I? Even if I did was pretty sure that he would just ignore me or give me some kind of half-assed comment back which wouldn't help me in figuring out what to do. I wasn't even sure if the reason I felt something for him was because I liked him or if it was because he lit a passion inside of me that I hadn't experienced before. Why did this have to be so difficult?

I had zero to no experience when it came to the male gender. Middle school was one of the most horrible times in my life when it came to bullying, and I went to an all girls high school with Keiko. There was an all boy's high school right next door, but because we didn't have classes together, we only saw each other before and after school, meant that I never directly interacted with them. Then once school was out I spent most of my time with Keiko and Yusuke, at work when I had a job, at the studio, or at home with David.

Did everyone feel like this at first? I wish I had Keiko here to ask. I could always write her and have Tetsuya deliver it to her when he took my letter to David. I quickly crossed that option out. With my luck Yusuke would find the letter first and read it, and over my dead body was I going to let Yusuke know, indirectly, that I was confused about my feelings for Hiei. I would never be able to live that down. Especially because he had a loud mouth and would probably tell everyone. If that happened I might as well just find a corner to die in embarrassment.

"Oh!" Tetsuya exclaimed, drawing me slowly from my thoughts. "Look at that!"

I looked around him to where he was pointing. My eyes fell on a remotely shallow river cutting through the forest. I could see the bottom of the river from here, but I knew it would probably come up to my thighs if I stepped into it. Tetsuya tugged me into moving once again as he lead us to the rivers edge.

It was a slow moving river that was clear enough to see the fish swimming lazily. To my left was a slight rise in rocks that the water trickled over like a miniature water fall. Tetsuya released my hand and kneeled next to the water, and dipped his fingers into it. The colorful fish came to examine his fingers, brushing against his touch.

"Come try," he said, looking over at me his expression reading nothing but happiness. I went to kneel next to him and hesitantly dipped my own fingers into the cool water. Though the fish were pretty, they still kind of freaked me out. I couldn't tell you why they freaked me out, they just always had. It was something about their unblinking eyes that made me uneasy. The fish came to examine my own fingers. I could feel their mouths try and taste the skin on my fingers. "You know, I was born to a water species of demon," Tetsuya said quietly. "I was born with the power over shadows. I even look like I'm supposed to be a shadow demon. But both of my parents were water demons, as were my siblings."

"That's why you were with Seikatsu," I said, keeping my voice as quiet as his.

"Yeah," he sighed. "My village didn't shun me away like some of the other people in the city. But I was always treated differently, you know? I didn't have any friends. My family didn't acknowledge me most of the time. When I was strong enough to fend for myself, I left on my own free will. Sometimes I get angry about it, you know? Genetically, I'm a water demon. I feel the most at peace when I'm near or in the water. If I'm far away from it for too long I get sad. But I have no control over it.

But then, there's times that I'm happy that I have the power over shadows. If I wasn't able to control them then Seikatsu would have found someone else to take you. Then I wouldn't have been able to help Hiei get you back. I would have been useless without my powers. I think I was less under Seikatsu's control because I don't hate my people. They didn't treat me cruelly, per say. They just didn't understand. If I wasn't there," he paused and his coal eyes slid over to me. "I don't think you would have escaped."

I pursed my lips and didn't say anything. I don't know why I hadn't thought about it before. Of course Tetsuya wasn't actually a shadow demon. That's the reason he was in the city to begin with. I hadn't realized how much more dire my situation would have been if it wasn't for Tetsuya. If it wasn't for him helping Hiei get to me, then I would still be in the castle. Who knows if I would still be in the dark room or not.

"Thank you," I said, giving him a soft smile. He returned my smile with a nod then stood with a stretch. I watched him with a knitted expression when he started to pull off his shoes. "What are you doing?" I asked slowly.

He gave me a toothy grin and stepped out into the water. The water only came to his lower thigh in the deepest part. I stared at him in shock as he disappeared fully into the water, kicking up the loose dirt on the bottom. He reappeared at the surface with a splash. His laughter was contagious and I found myself giggling at his antics. He spent a few minutes in the water before coming back to the edge.

"You ready to head back?" he asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet. I could almost visibly see the happiness that radiated off of him. He grabbed his shoes from the ground, took my hand and started to lead me back to the temple.

I stared down at our hands as he pulled me along. Even though I really did like him, I think I always knew deep down that a certain fire demon had wedged himself a place somewhere inside of me and taken grip. And I knew that he wasn't going to let go.

* * *

><p>Yokuto had me meet him on the beach that morning. I hadn't seen him or Hiei last night at dinner, leaving just Tetsuya and I at the table. So now, I was standing on the beach watching Yokuto suspiciously as he placed an assortment of rocks on top of posts that he had buried the bottom half of into the sand. I was already suspicious because he wasn't having me run this morning and now watching him definitely didn't help. He stood back to look at his work, gave a single nod and made his way for me.<p>

"Your telekinesis hasn't been sealed away," he said once he was standing in front of me. "You just don't know how to control it. When I sealed your energy away I targeted only your demonic energy. When you still had your empathy that told me that most of your abilities came from your spirit energy. I believe that depriving you of your sight is what is going to open the door to your powers. I have a few theories why, but we'll leave that for another time. Do you have the ribbon?" I nodded slowly, narrowing my eyes at him. What the hell was he up to? "Put it on and take stance with your bo."

I did as he asked reluctantly, pulling the ribbon out of my pocket slowly and tied it around my eyes. It was dark outside before, being that it wasn't quite dawn yet, but this plunged me into complete darkness.

"Telekinesis is the power to control the energy of another object into movement with your mind. If you focus enough to draw your telekinesis out you will, essentially, be able to see even in total darkness because you will be able to sense the energy from every living and non living thing. Do you understand what I'm saying?" he asked.

"Kind of," I answered. "So what do you want me to do?"

"Today you're going to try and draw your telekinesis out. If it takes longer than just today, so be it. You may not be able to control it to actually move things, but if you awaken it, you should be able to sense everything around you. Once you get to that point, I want you to use your bo and attack these stands that I have made. We'll do it over and over again until you can do it without having to concentrate so much on that single act. Then we will move on to live combat." I would have rolled my eyes if it wasn't for the ribbon that covered my eyes, so I settled for a deep sigh. "I won't be around while you try and do this. I don't want my energy to distract you from the others around you. So you will be out here by yourself, okay?"

"Okay," I grumbled.

With that, he left me on the beach by myself. The breeze coming off the ocean chilled my skin as I stood in stance with my bo. How was I supposed to find my power? My empathy had come to me naturally, my telepathy came to me with little effort until I sealed it inside of myself, but I had no idea how to draw out my telekinesis.

I let myself fall out of stance and sat in the sand. I couldn't focus on keeping my stance perfect and try to draw out my power at the same time. I sat cross legged and I could feel the sand sticking to my bare legs.

I decided that my best option was to try and draw into myself and find my power, much like I had when trying to find my energy. I pushed away all the sound around me and focused only on the darkness I was surrounded in. It drew me in with eager and open arms. I found myself standing in the darkness with my energy thick around me. As I started to walk forward, the darkness came alive with dancing colors of light. They twisted and coiled around me, brushing whispers against my skin and brushing through my hair. Each color left a different emotion with their touch.

Orange flooded me with a warm comfort. It held me close, embracing me tightly in it's metaphysical arms. It tasted of home, like my mom's steak and rice fresh and hot. It smelled like my dad's cologne that David had taken to using. The sound of gentle humming came over me as if it was trying to sing me to sleep. It held me close, giving me promises of safety from everything that I feared. It felt like nothing could harm me here in it's tight embrace.

Pink danced me away from orange's tight embrace, spinning me into the feeling of new love. It giggled into my ears like I had heard so many girls before do when their boyfriend held them close. It held a different kind of warmth, like the blush that would cover my cheeks. It made me feel like Tetsuya did when he made me laugh, an innocent joy. It tasted like sugar on my tongue.

Gray yanked me away from my dance with pink and held me tight against it's sadness, drowning out the joy I had felt only a moment ago. It smothered me with the sound of broken weeping. The taste of salt and tears filled my mouth. It left me cold though it gripped me like a vice. It made breathing difficult as my chest shook with silent and tearless sobs.

Green gently pulled me away from the sadness of gray, washing me with peace. The weeping was replaced with a silence that could only be described as full. It laid me gently into the warmth from sunshine. It felt of how my mind felt after a full day of dancing, like nothing happening around me was truly bad enough to break me down. It made me feel as if I was laying in a soft and warm bed to watch the sunrise in the distance.

Blue pulled me from the blankets of green, filling me with confidence and power. It sounded like cheers of encouragement from my parents and brother as I danced in my first recital as a child. I felt like I could accomplish anything in the brightness of the color. Nothing could stop me from what I set my mind to.

Yellow shoved me away from the confidence of blue, filling me with a rage that was going to tear away from under my skin. It boiled against my flesh as shouts of protest screamed into my ears deafening me to anything else around me. It pushed me to the ground, kicking me with a new wave of anger with each blow it landed on me. It tore at my flesh with screams of hate.

Red engulfed the rage of yellow, smothering me in a burning lust. It burned like a fire in the pit of my stomach, as my own gasps of pleasure filled the air around me. It's fingers traced every crevasse of my body, leaving warm and wet kisses soon to follow. It pulled eagerly at my skin, as it whispered with a deep rumble into my senses. It held me tight, lighting the fire in the pit of my stomach even brighter, engulfing every inch of me.

A loud gasp for air filled my lungs like I had been underwater, as my eyes flew open. Hiei kneeled in front of me, the violet light from his Jagan fading from sight. The sun was setting over the horizon, casting the world into a red glow that kept the fire under my skin from fading as the real world appeared around me. His ruby eyes glowed like hot embers in the light of the sunset. He started to open his mouth to say something, and the sultry curve of his lips tipped me over the edge.

I reached out for him and crashed my lips into his.

* * *

><p>...Excuse me while I um. Run away from anything thrown at me.<p>

-very quickly retreats to a safe distance-

So um. Anyways. Over one hundred reviews! Yay! Thank you guys so much! In extreme gratitude I updated a day early and gave you all a..cliff hanger? Oops?

-retreats even further-

Seriously, thank you! I was so excited last night when we finally tipped the one hundred mark that I had to push this chapter as hard as I could to get it out early for you guys. It really means so much to me.

If the bra scene from many moons ago was one of my favorite scenes I had ever written, then this chapter is my most favorite one I've ever published. We learned so much about a lot of different things and well. We got a kiss! Finally!

-retreats even further-

If anything Yokuto was explaining was kind of hard to understand, just let me know and I'll explain it even further as best as I can. I hope I was able to convey onto screen what I was trying to say.

**dewa95**: Thank you, thank you. I do tend to crack myself up sometimes haha. The characters write themselves dude, I don't even know what to tell you. They just take the reigns and they tell me what to write. I'm glad you like it!

**XBloodMageRikaX**: Well, no one has protested against my frequent updates so I guess I'll be trying to keep the same schedule haha. I was cracking up when I wrote that scene. I was thinking to myself, "how would a jealous Hiei show some dominance over the opposing male?" and then that popped into my head. Most of the time that I write I have major things I want to build to, but everything else is just kind of on a whim. It's gotten me pretty far I think haha. I wish Seikatsu would keep his grubby hands to himself. But I'll just have Hiei chop them off muwaha.

**VioletPetal**: My one hundredth reviewer! I'm happy that you love this story! I try my hardest to keep everyone in character. Hiei especially since hes like. The main part of this story haha. Even though Daelyn is a demon, I think she will always be human in her thinking. It's kind of hard to break away from something you've been your entire life, you know? I seriously giggled at the thought of Daelyn facing of with Donatello. So thank you for that laugh haha.

**Aly Goode**: I think it's more of _we_ got our one hundred reviews! I write this story for all of you, so it would be greedy of me to say that they were _my_ reviews. I think she was a little afraid to touch him haha. I mean, if a built and beefy man was standing infront of you with lust and sex rolling off of him and you had never personally experienced something like that before, wouldn't you be a little afraid? Now, if she was afraid of what she would do or what he would do, that's completely open to interpretation. I did do it on purpose kind of. The blind fold came into play for her telekinesis way early on in my plotting of this story, but I threw it in last minute in the earlier chapter. I'm glad you noticed that! We're getting close to actually meeting the dragon! That was kind of a teaser for it. As for being more sensitive to it in her sleep, well, I'll never tell. I will only write:)

**Guest**: Thank you! We got to see Tetsuya and a jealous Hiei both in this chapter, so I hope you like it!

So what do you think Hiei's reaction is going to be? Leave me a review or PM me and let me know!


	23. Chapter 23

"I had nothing to offer anybody except for my own confusion." -Jack Kerouac

Gravity

Chapter Twenty-Three

I wasn't sure if it was out of confusion or shock, but he fell back to sit in the sand. My lips didn't break from his as I moved closer to him. I sat with my legs on either side of his and a deep growl rumbled in his chest, causing my own body to shiver in delight. His hands reached up to grab my shoulders and push me back enough to break us apart.

"Daelyn," he struggled out. "What are you doing?"

I reached up to wrap my arms around his neck, and pulled him back to me, capturing his lips with mine again. His lips were soft and warm against mine, and a sound that I didn't know could come from me responded to a growl that came from him. The darker energy that had already been roaring loudly, reacted to my sound and curled tightly around me, telling me promises of things that my body was eagerly reacting to. His hands traced heat down my sides as they gripped tightly into my hips. He gripped me tighter to him, bringing a gasp to my lips. His teeth bit down on my lower lip drawing another moan. The heat in the pit of my stomach grew, the heat traveling further down as I felt his hips grind into me. He release my lip from his teeth and began to nip across my jaw and down to my neck. His hands found their way under my shirt. My fingers knotted into his hair tightly as his nails dug into the skin on my hips. I pressed my hips further into him, drawing a thundering rumble from his chest. He grazed his teeth against the sensitive flesh of my collar bone causing another quiet moan escaped me. His lips pulled away from my skin for a moment to press a warm kiss to the top of my incision scar. I whimpered as he trailed further down the scar, leaving warm kisses in his wake.

Just as his hands started to trail further up my shirt, a new presence entered the lust filled haze of my mind. Before I could blink, I was standing. Hiei stood a few feet away, with his jaw clenched and eyes shut with his brow drawn as he tucked his hands into his jeans. I immediately felt the cold around me from the breeze coming off of the ocean. The lack of red from the night's sky eased my mind of the crazed lust I had been feeling. My nerves were very much still alive, urging me forward and back into his arms.

Yokuto's presence kept me from doing just that. I dragged my eyes away from the demon in front of me as Yokuto approached. His gaze narrowed as his molten silver eyes slid between us skeptically. I wasn't sure but I was pretty sure I was breathing a lot harder than normal.

"..Is everything okay?" he asked after a moment.

"I had to pull her out of her meditation with my Jagan," Hiei said before my mind could find a response in it's jumbled state. My eyes flashed over to him. He stood completely relaxed, his voice even and strong.

"I see," Yokuto said, his eyes still narrowed at us. "Did anything else happen?"

"Hn," was all Hiei said. Yokuto's gaze fell on me and stayed there, his gaze questioning with a masked intensity. I swallowed nervously and shook my head.

"Hm," was his response. "Well, dinner is ready. You can tell me what happened while we eat." With that he turned to leave. I bit my lip and turned my head to look at Hiei. I shivered to see he that he was already looking at me his once relaxed stance now stiff. His ruby eyes glowed in the darkness surrounding us on the beach, the black flames flickering violently across the red. I clamped down tightly on the mostly healed split in my lip and hurried after Yokuto before he was able to pull me back into his embrace, which I would have allowed if it wasn't for the fact that my rational mind told me that it wouldn't be a good idea incase someone came looking again.

Hiei followed after me. My raw nerves were causing me to shiver from the heat radiating from his body. Before I could step up on the porch to follow Yokuto inside, Hiei grabbed my wrist. I was barely able to hold back a moan as he spun me around and against his chest. I reluctantly glanced up to see his eyes still on fire. His emotions were still in over drive, rushing into the front of my mind filling me with the feeling of a primal lust and urgency to act on that lust. The darker energy wrapped itself tightly around me again, making my knees weak. With gritted teeth, he moved back just enough to slowly zip my jacket up as far it could go, with his knuckles dragging across my chest, leaving a warmth behind that made it hard for me to breathe.

Mi mewed behind me, tearing my eyes away from Hiei's. I turned to see her sitting in the open doorway with her ears twitching back and forth. She looked back and forth between the two of us her tail swaying happily. I took a deep breath to gather myself and went to pick her up. Hiei's hand lingered on my arm as I walked up the steps to the patio. I picked Mi up and she began purring loudly.

Hiei once again followed after me, and I did my best to ignore the heat coming from him along with his emotions that my brain was hyper sensitive to right now. Tetsuya greeted me with a bright smile as we entered the dinning room, and I tried my best to return his smile. If I wasn't successful he didn't notice. I went over to an empty place at the table, with Hiei close behind as he sat next to me. I sat Mi down between us in an attempt to make a buffer between us. From the corner of my eye I could see that Hiei was completely relaxed, but his emotions told me other wise. They were still spinning around in my head, mixing with my own and preventing me from being able to calm down.

I filled my plate absent mindedly, making sure to give Mi a portion of her own. When I would pass the dishes to Hiei, his fingers would brush against mine that would cause a very slight hitch in my breathing. The first time it happened, I saw him give a faint smirk, so I was certain that he was doing it on purpose now.

"So, tell me what happened," Yokuto said, drawing my attention away from the demon to my left.

"W-well," I said, trying to focus on anything besides Hiei. "I was trying to find my power in my mind like before. When I tried I saw colors everywhere."

"Colors?" Yokuto asked, his eyes narrowing a fraction.

"Yeah," I nodded. "When they touched me I felt different emotions." I went on to explain the colors in detail to him, pointedly leaving out the red that matched the eyes of the demon to my left. Yokuto listened with a thoughtful expression and didn't say anything for a few minutes after I finished explaining. I tried to ignore the darker energy that was reaching for me and tracing against my skin by shoveling food from my plate into my mouth that I didn't taste.

"I didn't realize that your empathy had developed so far," Yokuto finally said, running his hand through his hair. "This changes how we're going to have to approach this."

"How?" I asked after swallowing the dry food in my mouth.

"You were on the right track to drawing out your power with meditation. Your empathy makes you extremely sensitive to others emotions and even more so to those you know well. Which leads to, in a meditative state, your own emotions are strong enough to completely draw you into them."

"Those were...my own emotions?" I asked, pursing my lips. That burning red lust was my own emotion?

"Yes," he nodded. "Until you are able to mediate without having you emotions pull you so far under I think it's best if Hiei stay with you while you try and draw out your power. He can use his Jagan and act as a buffer."

My eyes shifted over to the demon to my left. He was looking at Yokuto with a slight rise in one of his eyebrows, his eyes completely unreadable. Those same ruby eyes slid down to me, and I blushed brightly, and turned back to Yokuto.

"Okay," I said, trying to not let my voice waver.

The rest of dinner passed with Tetsuya chatting excitedly about something else he found in the forest today. I listened to him on auto-pilot giving a few smiles and responses when it seemed like I needed to. I was mostly just trying to calm myself down from earlier, which was extremely difficult when the reason my nerves were on fire was because of the demon next to me. I finished eating quickly so I could leave the room and get a chance to actually be able to breathe.

I excused myself from the table and walked as calmly out of the room as I could while feeling Hiei's heated stare running over my body. Once I was certain I was far enough away to not draw attention to myself I ran the rest of the way to my room. Mi had stayed behind in the dinning room so I closed the door behind me with a sigh.

I leaned against the door and let my head fall back and made a dull thud and stared up at the ceiling. My skin was finally starting to cool now that I was far enough away from Hiei that his emotions and energy weren't at the front of my mind. My mind was still in a whirl wind with the scene from the beach rushing through my head over and over again. It was my first kiss and it had very quickly almost turned into my first time with someone. It would have been if Yokuto hadn't shown up. Right there, on the beach, with someone that I wasn't even sure where we stood together now.

That wasn't how I imagined my first kiss would be. I had watched plenty of romantic comedies because of Keiko and had more than enough time to let my imagination run wild. I always imagined that my first kiss would be with someone that I had gone on dates with and who made me laugh. Someone who tried to make David approve of him, even though David would still give him hell about trying to date me. Our first kiss would be when David finally approved of him and he asked me to be his girlfriend. Someone like Tetsuya. But it didn't happen like that.

Hiei was dark and mysterious. I had a feeling that his secrets had secrets that those secrets kept locked away in a safe in the back of a closet behind some couple dozen skeletons. He hardly ever spoke to me if he didn't have to. I wasn't even sure on most days if Hiei even liked me enough to tolerate me, so we definitely hadn't been on any dates. The thought of Hiei even being on a date was laughable. I could only imagine Hiei dressed up nicely, bringing flowers to the door, holding open doors for me and taking me to dinner all while trying to swoon me into his arms. The idea of it even brought a chuckle to my lips, even if it was from minor hysteria. Hiei was everything opposite to what I had imagined. My first kiss hadn't been sweet and tender like I imagined.

It was lustful and dripped with heated passion. The thought of it brought a blush to my face and made my body warm, especially in the pit of my stomach. He had brought something out of me that I didn't know I had. I felt that like I should be wary of what happened and try to keep my distance, but every part of me wanted more of him. I wanted to feel his teeth against my neck again and let him dig his nails into my skin. I wanted to hear his growl and let it rumble into my body. He made my body crave him and made me want so much more than what we had done on the beach.

I let my eyes slide shut and sighed. What the hell was happening to me?

* * *

><p>I had decided I needed a nice cold shower to try and calm myself down and to also wash away the sand that was sticking to me and my clothes. So after grabbing a change of clothes, I peeked my head out of my door to make sure that the coast was clear from any certain demons named Hiei. When I decided that it was safe enough for me to emerge from my room, I wasted no time to rush to the bathing area. I didn't want to linger in the hallway any longer than necessary in case he decided to show up.<p>

After making it safely to the hot spring area I let out a sigh of relief. I was just not ready to deal with him yet. I needed to sort my own head out first before I tried to pick apart his. I walked over to the shelves to set my clothes down before undressing for the shower. I didn't make it very far, because as I slipped my jacket off that Hiei had zipped fully shut, my eyes fell on a darkening bruise on my collar bone. My eyes nearly popped out of my skull when I saw it and leaned closer to the mirror to examine it.

"He gave me a hickey.." I said in complete disbelief. He gave me a hickey and he _knew_ he did because he hid it from Tetsuya and Yokuto with my jacket. I let out an exasperated sigh and covered it with my hand while rubbing my eyes with my other hand. I'm sure I would have been irritated if I wasn't so wound up about other things. I decided I would be irritated at him tomorrow after I got some sleep. Dread started to bubble inside of me when I thought of tomorrow. Tomorrow he was going to have a direct involvement with my training until I could draw out my telekinesis and who knows how long that could take.

Grudgingly I finished undressing to shower. _Tomorrow_, I told myself. I would worry about everything tomorrow.

* * *

><p>He could sense her in the hot spring. Everything in his body and his dragon urged him to go to her and finish what had started earlier. But he refused to give in to his urges. Part of it was because he could read in her mind that she was confused about what had happened, which his dragon silently told him that he should clear that confusion in her mind. He chose to ignore that. Another reason he wouldn't admit to out loud was it had surprised him more than it surprised her. He hadn't taken her for the type to make a move like that.<p>

But now that she had his blood was on fire. And it was burning for her. He shifted in the tree he was sitting in to cross his arms to try and ease the shaking in his right arm that his dragon was causing. The burning had started when he heard her speaking to the shadow demon about him. The demon had bluntly asked if anything was going on between them. She admitted to Tetsuya that she did feel something. Her mind told him that she wasn't lying when she said she didn't know what it was. He realized that she didn't know what it was because she had never experienced it before. He knew that she was innocent and naive, but it still brought a mild shock to him to realize that, even if not on the same level or reason, she wanted him as well.

It irritated him immensely that Yokuto had interrupted them. _No, _he growled to himself. _It irritated the dragon. _The dragon had long since decided that it wanted her as his mate. It had set it's sights on her and wasn't going to give up on this decision. He had argued with it, that the girl was weak, she was defenseless and that she had no idea of demon customs. But it showed him through his Jagan how powerful the girl would become. He had never seen an energy demon before her and Seikatsu, but the dragon had, long before he tamed it as his own. The sheer mass of destruction they could cause was something he hadn't ever seen before. They could level entire cities in a matter of a few breaths by releasing their ever growing energy that was stored in their bodies.

They weren't invincible though. Their energy drained almost as fast as it grew if they used it. The energy would build up so much pressure in their bodies that once the seal was broken for them to try and use it, it would come rushing out like a dam being opened. Once their energy was drained, they were left exhausted and completely open to attack. One would just have to find a way to survive their energy attacks before making their move.

He closed his eyes and rested his head against the trunk of the tree. Even though her power was going to be one of her greatest weaknesses, he found that what the dragon had shown him made his want for the girl even greater. The fire that she made him feel was something had hadn't experienced with anything other than bloodlust and battle. No other female had brought him that kind of lust. Not even Mukuro.

What was it about this girl that captivated his mind? Why did it have to be her?

* * *

><p>I had to force my feet forward to meet Hiei on the beach for my training. I had been awake for a few hours before I was supposed to be. The anxiety of today kept me from getting a decent night's sleep and had me tossing and turning all night. So needless to say, I was exhausted and the anxiety building in me was some new kind of level of meltdown. I had tried all morning to sit down and write a response to David. Every time I tried, my mind would wander, or I just couldn't figure out what to say. So I had given up on that fairly quickly, and would just write him back after my training. I even had time to actually eat breakfast which Mi was very excited about. I left a note for Tetsuya in the kitchen to ask him to feed her lunch.<p>

Now, my hands shook as I slid open the back door of the temple. I slowly made my way down the temple steps and into the grass. As I approached the beach, my eyes fell on Hiei's form standing at the shoreline of the water. He wasn't facing me. He stood tall with his hands in his pockets as he gazed out over the water. The breeze from over the water whipped around him causing his shirt to billow around him. As I approached closer, he started to turn. My steps faltered when his eyes seemed to glow in the darkness as he looked at me. Surprisingly enough, I didn't feel either of his energies radiating off of him. They were completely subdued.

I stood a few feet away from him while keeping my eyes trained on the ribbon that I twisted with my hands. The blush that I had been trying to fight back was coming full force. What was I supposed to say to him? Sorry I jumped your bones? Please don't hate me because I think you're attractive and you pulled me out of my head at the worst possible time? Or maybe I was just supposed to own up to what I did. But how was I supposed to do that? Hey, I kind of have feelings for you, even though I don't know what they are and I really enjoyed kissing you. I think you're really attractive and I was wondering how you feel about me.

Yeah. Because _that_ would go well. So out of sheer nervousness, I just said nothing and placed my bo down in the sand. I felt Hiei's gaze watching me closely as I tied the ribbon over my eyes. After doing so I sat next to my bo with a silent sigh. I heard Hiei come closer to me, and sit across from me. He was close enough that I could feel the heat radiating off of his body.

"When you enter into your meditation, don't focus on my presence," he said after a moment causing me to startle.

"O-okay," I stammered. I took a few deep breaths to try and settle my nerves before drawing into myself like I had before. It took me a while longer to actually still my mind enough to enter into meditation. The heat coming from him and the sound of his even breathing made it hard for me to focus. Thankfully, his energies weren't running wild, and after I forced myself to ignore his presence, I was able to let the world around me fade away.

I was standing in the darkness again. The energy I felt before was still as strong as it had been the first time. I stood completely still because I was afraid that if I moved the colors of my emotions would take over again. A familiar warmth began to appear next to me. I turned my head to look as Hiei started to appear in the darkness. His Jagan was open and glowing violet as his ruby eyes fell on me. My eyes fell on his right arm. Even in the darkness I could see the black flames that burned around his arm.

"You never told me what that was," I said quietly. My voice resonated around us, echoing back and forth in the darkness.

"Don't focus on my presence," was his response that echoed along with the fading of the echo of my own words. "Find you power."

"How?" I asked. I really had no idea how to find it. I could sense different powers around me. It was strange. They felt so familiar to me but I had no idea why. They called out to me through the silence, each having it's own voice.

"Just listen," he said simply.

So I did. I turned back to the darkness and let the voices from the energies around me draw me in. There were four different sounds. One hummed with the sound of different emotions, trying desperately to reach me, but the glowing from Hiei's Jagan kept it from getting to close. Empathy, I realized. The next one sounded far away, like it had been pushed into the farthest corners of the darkness. It whispered with the sound of multiple voices harmonizing together, urging me to set it free. Telepathy. The next sound was a roar of chaos, screaming to be set free. It was the strongest of all the energies combined, yanking and fighting to be set free to find me. My demon energy. I ignored it's screams of protest, and focused on the last sound. It was a deep rumble that was almost too low for me to hear. It reached out for me to draw me closer.

I took a step to follow it. The darkness came alive with colors just as it had yesterday. Hiei's Jagan glowed even brighter, shielding us from the onslaught of emotions. I saw his eyes narrow as each color tried to break through the invisible wall that protected us. I vaguely pondered if he could still feel the emotions that the colors brought. I didn't let my mind rest on it for too long, before I continued walking towards where the deep rumbling was leading me.

As I got closer, it got louder and the pull got stronger. I couldn't tell you how far we had walked, but between the colors and the growing noise it felt like a really long time. Our steps sent echos through the darkness giving a methodical beat with the low rumble of my telekinesis. After walking for what seemed like hours, a faint lilac glow appeared in the mix of the colors, fading away those colors into the darkness. The glow of Hiei's Jagan lessened, but didn't fully disappear.

I picked up my pace to a jog as we got closer to the lilac light. The rumble ceased when I got into arms length of it. I kneeled down to be at eye level with it to examine it. The bottom of it was an orb. It was the part giving off the light. The energy that came off of it, rippled up like flames, disappearing into the darkness. The orb itself was only the size of my palm, but the entirety of it was the size of my hand in all.

"Is this it?" I asked, looking over my shoulder to Hiei who was watching me with narrowed eyes. He gave a single nod. I turned back to the orb of light. Hesitantly, I reached my hand out to grab it. I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little afraid of it after what happened with the last orb of light I tried to grab.

But as my fingers wrapped around it, a whisper of vibrations was sent up my arm. The light flashed brightly, blinding me in its lilac color, before the vibrations grew stronger and covered my entire body.

The next thing I knew, I was sitting on the beach. My eyes were still covered by the ribbon, but I could hear the ocean somewhere around me and I could feel it's cool breeze brush across my skin as the sun bore down on me.

"Did it work?" I asked. I got no response. After reaching out my mind to feel for Hiei's energy I found that I was completely alone. I would have been irritated that he just up and left me alone, but when I reached out my mind, I was frozen in place. All around me were different energies. The sand beneath me, the trees around me, the posts and rocks that Yokuto had sat up yesterday morning. Everything was alive with energy. I couldn't make out any definite shapes of things, but I could see that there were things around me.

I stood from the sand slowly and grabbed the bo that I had left next to me. My fingers twisted around it tightly as I tried to focus the radiating energies into shapes. They refused to listen, remaining in their glob like forms. Was this what I was supposed to see to begin with? Maybe this is what Yokuto was talking about. I slowly walked over to where the posts were standing. I could see them in the flatness of the sand, but their shapes were three times the size that what I remembered they looked like. With each breeze coming from the ocean I could see the energies whip around chaotically.

How was I supposed to hit the rocks if I couldn't even see where they actually were? I was beginning to think that Yokuto really was out of his mind. I couldn't actually see anything. Everything was just giant globs of swirling energy. But I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and raised my bo into position.

After a few breaths, I swung the bo out at the closest glob. It passed through the energy like air. It flew out of my hands when it didn't meet anything solid. I head it land somewhere to the side of me with a thump in the sand.

"What the hell," I grumbled. I slowly turned to where I heard it land. I could see a large, oval blob of energy around where it had landed in the sand. After making my way to it, I reached out to grab it but simply got a hand full of sand. I reached out again, but still felt nothing but sand. With a grumble I dropped to my knees and slid my hands over the sand where the energy from the Bo was radiating. When my fingers finally bumped against it I gripped it tightly and stood. When I turned to go back to the posts, a large radiating energy was standing there. I paused, trying to figure out what had just appeared. "...Yokuto?" I called out slowly. It felt like Yokuto's energy.

"Hiei told me of your success in drawing out your telekinesis," Yokuto answered. "Can you see?"

"Kind of," I answered. "Not really. Nothing really has a shape."

"That will come with time and practice," he said. "Keep trying."

So that's how the rest of my day was spent. Yokuto giving me a few pointers here and there, but mostly, trying to hit a rock, on a stick, completely blind folded. Imagine trying to hit a pinata, but you could see where it was by a glowing light roughly anywhere from three to fifteen feet around it. It's still really difficult.

Yokuto left after a few hours, leaving me alone to try and focus the blobs into shapes and try to hit them. Every time I failed to hit the rocks, my frustration level would rise, making it harder for me to focus. The bo would fly out of my hands from time to time when I would thing _"This time"_ and swing as hard as I could. Each time I had to go and find where it had flew and landed in the sand.

After it had happened again, I stood there with gritted teeth and clenched fists as I tried to not let out a stream of curses that threatened to spew out of me. How hard could this actually be? I could technically see the damn thing, I just couldn't see where it actually was. That, and the shapes were always changing because of the breeze.

Hiei's energy appeared a few feet away from me. I turned my head to see his shapeless energy standing next to my bo. But his energy looked different than Yokuto's. Even though I still couldn't tell where his exact shape was, I could see where his right arm was because it was a different colored energy than the rest of him. I yanked the ribbon down off my face and around my neck and stared at him.

"What is wrong with your arm?" I asked. "It's a different color than the rest of you. Why?"

* * *

><p>Hiei's jaw tightened at her question. The dragon twisted under his skin, urging him to show her why the energy surrounding his arm was different. The dragon wanted her to see it. Completely against his better judgement, he reached up to the end of the bandage at his bicep to begin unraveling it. She watched in utter fascination, slowly drawing closer as the bandages slowly pooled to the ground. It crossed his mind, that perhaps if she saw the dragon and saw the damage that it had done to his arm that she would be frightened of him and choose to stay away from him. His rational mind wanted that to be the out come, but his subconscious and the dragon both growled at the possibility.<p>

Once the last of the bandages had been undone she took a final few steps to close the distance between them, her eyes never breaking from his arm. The skin there was burned and was covered in dried blood from where the dragon had protested against his decisions to stay away from the girl. The black marking of the dragon twisted around his arm excitedly as she leaned her face closer to examine it.

"..Does it hurt?" she asked, her blue eyes flashing up to him.

He scoffed in response. What kind of question was that? Though he would never admit it out loud to her, it was extremely painful. He watched as her hand slowly came up to brush against the part of the black mark that made up the dragons head. The wave of pleasure that the dragon sent through his body was enough to make him have to forcefully keep himself from drawing the girl into his arms and finishing what they started yesterday. The dragon spun around his arm ecstatically as her fingers traced up his arm.

"This is..the dragon?" she asked quietly. He have a single nod with gritted teeth. "This is what I've been feeling," she said quietly. "The dragon is what has been giving off all of those emotions." The dragon sent another wave of pleasure through him, urging him to her. But he held strong and closed his eyes as her cool fingers brushed up the twirling shape of the dragon.

She wasn't fearful of the dragon or the damage it caused. She was fascinated. She did something that no other person had done. With out any fear or doubt, she touched the dragon where it laid under his skin ready to be released for an attack. Not even the strongest demons in all of demon world would dare try what she was doing now.

That set off a primal feeling of want and lust in him for the girl that he didn't know how much longer he was going to be able to resist.

* * *

><p>And then the plot thickens dun dun dunnnn.<p>

I know I've said this a few times before, but this does not mean that things are about to get all mushy gushy between these two. Dae-dae is still very confused, and well, Hiei is Hiei.

I want to apologize for the last few chapters being so much shorter than usual. I'm really just trying to draw things out before we move into the next step of this story which will come in a few chapters. I'd say about three or four, and don't worry, no one is getting kidnapped this time haha.

I would really like to hear from some of my silent readers! Yes, I know you're there. I've been watching haha. Don't be shy, please! I love talking with you all and hearing what you have to say. Even if it's to tell me that you think something needs to be portrayed differently or you think another character needs to be shown more. I don't bite, I promise:). Unless you're into that and then maybe I will. But, seriously, I'd love to hear from everyone!

**XBloodMageRika**: I know, I'm sorry! Kind of haha. I have to keep your guys on your toes, dammit! I hope I relieved some of that suspense for you:) The road I have planned for these two is going to be a long and twisty one. Some jealousy is definitely going to come into play for these next few chapters, and maybe even longer. I haven't decided how mean I'm going to be yet haha. I'm glad you enjoyed it!

**KK1372**: Well, I wouldn't say he got scared off haha. I think he's more confused than anything. And in denial. But, that dragon is one convincing SOB, you know? Who knows what could happen. I'm happy you liked it! Even if it was an evil way to leave you hanging haha.

**Aly Good**: I've warned you that I'm an evil and cruel author haha. I don't normally write cliffhangers, but they do happen occasionally. And those cliffhangers are pretty chaotic when they happen. They were definitely her own emotions that she was feeling. And even though she's not going to try and string Tetsuya along, Tetsuya is still going to be around causing some more confusion for our little Dae-dae. He does still have her journal!...(s) ;). Those will come into play sooner or later! It's just a matter of time and patience (read in your imaginary Yokuto voice). Yusuke and the others will be appearing soon, so we'll get to see that show down soon.

**VioletPetal**: That was quite a surprise wasn't it? This are definitely heating up. I wonder how much longer Hiei is going to be able to resist his dragon and Dae-dae? Hmmm. Only time will tell;). I'm glad you enjoyed it!


	24. Chapter 24

"Failure will never over take me if my determination to succeed is strong enough." -Og Mandino

Gravity

Chapter Twenty-Four

"You can't put those back on your arm!" I said in complete horror as I watched him pick up the bandages off of the sand to wrap around his arm. "It will never heal if you do that!" He gave me a look as if to say _Really?_ But I had nothing of it. I was not going to just stand by and let him put those dirty bandages back on his arm. I snatched them out of his hand scowling up at him. I grabbed him by his unhurt arm and tugged him after me to the temple to find clean bandages. Surprisingly, he didn't fight me but I had the feeling that he was dragging his feet just enough to make my life difficult.

Warm tingles made their way up my arm from the contact with his skin. I ignored it as best as I could as I pulled him through the temple and into his room. It looked the exact same as mine did, but somehow..less lived in. The futon looked like it hadn't been slept in and the bag that he had brought with him to the temple was still sitting by the door. The only thing I saw that I hadn't seen him bring to the temple was a sword and sheath leaning next to the window.

"Sit," I told him, pointing to the desk with the chair still tucked into it. "And don't go anywhere. I will hunt you down if I have to," I warned him. "And I can be extremely annoying. Don't test me." He scoffed. But for good measure, I took the old bandages with me so he couldn't wrap his arm with them. I paused in the hallway after closing the door behind me. "Now, if I was a first aid kit, where would I be?" I murmured. David kept ours in the main bathroom at the house, so that's where I was going to try first. Before I could head that way, Mi emerged from my room with a large yawn. I let her walk up to me before scooping her up in my arms, then headed for the bathrooms.

Once in the bathing area, I paused to look around before heading for the shelves. I found a medium sized white metal box tucked into one of the higher shelves that I had to put Mi down and climb up to reach. After flipping it open to make sure it had everything I needed, I closed it and picked Mi up once again and headed back for Hiei's room. I gave a pleased smile when I found him sitting in the chair with a grudging look on his face. I sat Mi into his lap and hopped up to sit on the desk. Even though he was sitting he was almost the same height as me. I flipped on the lamp that was on the desk and opened the kit again.

I gathered out everything I needed, lots of gauze, hydrogen peroxide, and a roll of bandage. He let me gently take his arm, and examine it closely. The black mark of the dragon reacted to my arm much like it had the first time, sending a warmth through me that I had to fight to ignore. The wounds were a mixture of burns and cuts all in different stages of healing. Some looked new, like they had just happened today, and others looked a few weeks old.

"What happened?" I asked quietly as I poured some of the peroxide onto the clean gauze.

"It was angry," he responded after a moment of silence. I saw his eyes narrow slightly as I pressed the dampened gauze to the burns on his hand. As gently as I could I wiped away the dried blood and grime.

"Why?" I pressed. He didn't answer me. I glanced up to him and saw his eyes narrowed at me, with his jaw clenched tightly. "..Me?" I asked quietly. His gaze moved away from me. That was the only response that I needed. I pursed my lips as I discarded the gauze in my hand into the small trash can next to the desk, then reached to get a fresh one. We sat in silence for a while as I worked to clean the wounds. I had to work slower on the fresher wounds which brought a hiss to his lips a few times. I mumbled a few apologies as I cleaned them. I was halfway up his forearm before I spoke again. "I'm sorry I made it angry," I said quietly to not disturb the comfortable silence between us. "And I'm sorry about last night."

"Don't be stupid," he scoffed. "There's nothing to apologize for."

I blinked and looked up at him through my eyelashes. He was watching my hands work to clean his arm with a drawn expression in his eyes even though his face was completely blank. What the hell did that mean? Nothing to apologize for? I didn't press the subject. I wasn't sure I wanted to know even though if I read between the lines it pointed at the fact that maybe he wanted me to kiss him, which made me happier than it should have. As I discarded the fourteenth piece of gauze, I let out a sigh and stretched my back. Mi was curled up in Hiei's lap watching me as I worked. As I set to work again, the dragon continued to curl around his arm at my touch.

"Does it always do this?" I asked wiping away an area of dried blood, referring to the fact that it was twisting around my touch, sending purrs of energy up my arms.

"Hn," he answered with a grunt.

I looked up at him blandly. "That could be taken as either a yes or a no, Hiei. Humor me." He didn't say anything. I pursed my lips and tried to not take offence. That's just how Hiei was. Tall, dark, mysterious and more than occasionally, an asshole who felt like a grunt was an acceptable answer to a question or statement. I was so wrapped up in my head that I barely heard him say something. I blinked and looked up. "What?" I asked.

"No," he repeated with a little more force than before. I was so surprised that he had answered me that I fell silent. What was I supposed to say? I had caused this, yet he told me not to apologize. I wasn't sure how I caused his dragon to do this, but somehow I had. I felt horrible about it. I chewed the inside of my lip as we fell into another silence.

"You gave me a hickey," I said after a few minutes trying to ease the weight of the silence. I fixed a pointed gaze at him through my eyelashes. I watched as a faint, but proud smirk graced his face. The dragon sent a wave of heat into my body at my statement. "Ass," I muttered. The dragon sent another wave of heat.

I finished cleaning the rest of his arm as he watched on, his eyes following my hands as I worked. I had lost track of how many gauze pads that I used, but I knew that the peroxide bottle was more than three-fourths empty. Though the wounds still marred his arm in an unsightly way, it wasn't as stomach turning as it had been before. I picked up the roll of bandages, earning a heatless glare from him. I could feel that he was wary to let me bandage his arm.

"Relax," I told him. "I've danced all my life, remember? I've had to wrap more sprains than I can remember. It would be an insult to my talent if I couldn't wrap this." He grunted in response, causing me to roll my eyes. I placed one end of the bandage in his palm, using my fingers to keep it in place as I wrapped it around his palm, and once around each of his fingers like he had the old bandage. His hands were much larger than mine, and battle worn with callouses and scars. I traced the bandages up his arm, trying to not be distracted by the toned muscles of his arm. Once I reached the middle of his bicep, I tucked the end of the bandage into itself, weaving it through a few layers to keep it in place. "There," I said, smiling. "All done. Now, as long as you promise to take care of it, I won't force you to sit through this again." He gave me a pointed look then went to inspect my work. "If you promise to take care of it, I'll promise to try to not make it angry anymore," I added quietly. He froze, his ruby eyes flashing over to me with a strange look in his eyes. I watched as black flames started to lick at the corner of his blinked, and they disappeared as he grit his teeth. "Promise?" I asked.

"..Hn," was his response after a few moments.

"I'm going to take that as a yes," I said, hopping off the desk. "And I'll be really upset if I find out that you aren't taking care of it." I put the unused gauze into the first aid kit along with the rest of the peroxide. I turned, and then paused, realizing how close I was standing next to him. "Well, um. I'm gonna go put this up and get something to eat before I get some sleep," I said, averting my eyes. "So..Goodnight."

I left the room with his eyes following after in silence.

* * *

><p>Beep.<p>

Beep.

Beep.

Bee-

David's hand reached out from under the blankets to slap his hand down on the alarm to silence the shrill that rose him from his sleep. He laid there for a few moments, before turning over from his stomach to sit up. Running his hands through his hair with a sigh he looked over at the clock. It read four in the morning. He had to be at work for first shift at seven. He rubbed his hands down his face with a tired sigh before leaving the comfort of his bed.

His tired body carried him towards the kitchen to start heating water for a highly caffeinated tea to further wake himself up while he showered. He paused when he saw a folded piece of paper on the coffee table illuminated in the setting light of the moon. He flicked on the light, flinching at the sudden brightness before making his way over to it.

_David_ it read in English letters on the front. He smiled while sitting on the couch to unfold the paper.

_Well, despite the fact that you don't want to know, Tetsuya is playing our letter carrier. He's staying with us at Yokuto's temple. While he was under arrest from Spirit World, Koenma had is mind searched by a telepath and came to find that he was innocent. He honestly didn't realize what Seikatsu's true intentions were with me when he took me to the castle and because he helped get me home, Spirit World let him go free. Koenma believes that because Tetsuya had direct involvement with Seikatsu he could help with my training. Don't worry though. I trust him. I'm willing to bet my life that Hiei picked at his mind too, and if Hiei trusts him enough to not try anything, that's enough for me. So it should be enough for you._

_Becoming nocturnal was my life goal that you destroyed. Don't be so happy about that. If I can keep you two from meeting to get idea's off of each other to make my life even more miserable, then you better believe I'll do it, even if I have to chain you to the house somehow. Don't doubt me, I will do it._

_I'm sorry that you have so much trouble sleeping. I wish there was something I could do to help. Maybe I'll find a way to help sound proof the house with my newly found powers? Who knows. I'm willing to try it. I think we passed through Misawa and switched trains there on the way to the temple. I'm not really sure. But I haven't had a chance to leave the temple since getting here. I've been having to train from dawn til dusk everyday. I'm going to have to ask Yokuto if I can go to town and do some grocery shopping here before too long. I'm going to start going stir crazy if I don't get some new scenery soon. Even though it's absolutely beautiful on his grounds, I still need to see the general population every now and then, you know? Need to maintain my humanity. (Ha.)_

_Tell Keiko to hold off on writing to me for now. My training is getting a little more difficult right now, and I need to focus on it as much as possible. When it starts to get easier or slows down, I'll write her and let her know it's okay to start sending letters with Tetsuya. And no, you should not be worried because you need to tell Yusuke not to make promises he can't keep. Tell everyone I miss them. Please._

_Also, I'm only interested in your personal life because I worry about your well being, you ass. No need to get snippy. I'm glad you and Shizuru are doing well. I'm also going to choose to not answer your question regarding a certain someone. _

_But, in all honesty, things between him and I are..complicated, I guess is the best way to describe it. I wish I knew what to say about it, but I don't even know where to start. It's a long story that would be too much to describe in a short enough letter. I'll figure things out though. So, please, don't worry._

_Also, could you send my mp3 player with your next letter? It's sitting on my night stand somewhere._

_I miss you. _

He read the letter over a few times before folding it back together. He traced his fingers over the edges, his brow knitted together in thought. What was going on between her and Hiei? He had made her promise to tell him should she trying to decide to move into a serious stage in a relationship with someone. Was this her attempting to tell him without being blunt? If only her phone worked out at the temple, he would call her and make her tell him. On most days he wished that phone towers would go down so he didn't have to worry about answering any calls, especially from work, but now he wished that they were more reliable.

With a sigh, he tossed the letter onto the coffee table, and tried not to worry while he readied for his day. But as he listened to the rain fall outside, he knew that telling him not to worry was like telling the rain to not be wet.

* * *

><p>The storms had moved in late last night. It was actually a loud crash of thunder that rose me from sleep about thirty minutes before I had to be awake. That's why I was now muttering the entire time I was getting dressed and going to find Yokuto where he sat out on the front porch with his tobacco pipe and a mug of steaming liquid. He glanced over his shoulder at me.<p>

"Good morning," he greeted quietly. I murmured a quiet greeting in return and went to stand next to him to look out over the falling rain. We kept the silence between us as we watched the rain fall with the lightening flashing over the trees every few minutes, bringing a rumble across the land. "You don't need to worry about training today," he said after a while. I looked down at him in confusion. "The rain would make it difficult to use your power," he explained after taking a drag off of the pipe. "That, and if you happened to get sick you would be useless for a few days. Consider this a rest day."

"Demons get sick?" I asked after a moment of letting his words sink in.

"Yes," he chuckled. "Not as easily as humans do, but demons do get sick from time to time. Even though you're fully a demon, your body is still trying to catch up to those changes, including your immune system," he explained, his eyes sliding up to mine. "Think of it as being a new born demon."

"...I can't tell if that was supposed to be an insult or not," I grumbled, making him laugh again, his eyes crinkling. I pursed my lips when he didn't care to explain. I sighed deeply and turned to head back into the temple, but paused when a scent reached my nose. "Is that..coffee?" I asked him, my body filling with hope.

"Yes," he said glancing back at me, one of his eyebrows raising up at me.

"I didn't know you had a coffee maker," I said, a grin spreading to my face as I became giddy with excitement.

"You didn't ask," he chuckled. "I usually only have coffee on rainy days, so the coffee maker is put up normally. I take it that it's going to find a permanent home on the counter now?"

My grin was everything he needed to know about his question as my feet carried me quickly to the kitchen while following my nose to the heavenly smell. After finding a large enough cup for my liking, I fixed the coffee with just a splash of milk and a little sugar before leaning against the counter and taking a long sip. Although I had been planning on going back to bed until the sun rose I knew that wasn't going to happen as I let out a content sigh from the coffee in my hands. I saw a figure appear in the doorway, that drew my eyes up as I took another sip. Tetsuya was looking at me with a bemused expression.

"What are you doing?" he asked, suppressing his laughter.

"Enjoying the fact that I'm drinking the nectar of the gods," I said, grinning.

"Coffee?" he asked, arching an eyebrow at me with a smirk. "I believe when people call something the 'nectar of the gods' they're referring to wine."

"Well, they're wrong," I scoffed. "I think. I wouldn't know."

"What do you mean?" he asked, rocking on the balls of his feet. I noticed he did that a lot when he was standing still, like his energy wouldn't permit him to stand in one place for to long.

"I'm only nineteen?" I said, my tone with a light question. "The legal drinking age is twenty?* My brother would have skinned me alive if I ever participated in under aged drinking. I rather like my skin attached to me, thank you."

"..You're only nineteen?" he asked his face wide with surprise.

"Yes," I said, narrowing my eyes at his question. "Why?" He stared at me in shock for a few moments before his face started to crack at the corners of his mouth. A bubble of laughter erupted from him, which he tried to cover with his hand as his other arm crossed over his stomach. When he glanced over to me, the laughter broke through again that he quickly tried to hold back. "You don't look much older yourself," I grumbled at him. That's when he lost all control that he had over his giggles. It broke though his defenses with a mission as his entire body shook with his laughter. I stared at him blandly for a few moments waiting for him to gather himself. "Why do I feel like I'm the butt of this joke?" I asked dead-panned as I watched him be overcome in his mirth.

"I assure you," he said through his giggles as he wiped his eyes. "I am well over the age of nineteen." My eyebrows knitted together at his statement. He didn't look a day over twenty-five at the oldest. "I knew you were young, but," he paused as another wave of giggles took him over. "I didn't realize you were that young."

"Then how old are you?" I asked slowly, suddenly very very confused.

"I'm over five hundred years old," he said grinning. "I lost track about a century ago I think. I'm not sure."

I gaped at him. He was over five hundred years old? How was that physically possible? He had to be kidding. But I could feel the honesty radiating off of him. "What?" I asked, my voice quiet.

"Demons live for thousands of thousands of years," he said smiling brightly, a few giggles still escaping from him. "No one really knows how long we live to die from old age. Most demons die in battle before that can happen."

I felt like I had just been hit with a ton of bricks. I knew that demons were much more powerful than humans, but I hadn't realized that they were essentially immortal. That, now, I was essentially immortal. There were so many things about demons that I didn't know, and now I didn't really want to know at this moment as my mind was still reeling from the fact that Tetsuya was over five hundred years old. I thought that he and Hiei were only a few years older than me.

"How old is.." I trailed off. Maybe I really didn't want to know.

"Hiei and Yokuto?" he asked, his grin still bright with mirth. I gave a small nod. "Yokuto is half human, so aging effects him differently. He's probably around two hundred. I'd say Hiei is around three hundred, give or take about fifty years. You could ask them, but I doubt they'd be able to tell you any closer. Everyone loses track after a while."

"Oh.." I said quietly. I ran my hand over my forehead where a head ache was beginning to form.

"Anyway! Yokuto told me that you aren't training today because of the rain. What are you planning on doing today?" he asked, thankfully, changing the subject.

"Um. I don't know. I was thinking maybe asking Yokuto if I could go into town and do some shopping," I said after taking a long drink of the coffee in my hands.

"I thought I told you not to say 'um'," came Yokuto's voice from behind Tetsuya, who then moved out of the way for him to enter the kitchen.

"Sorry," I said giving him a sheepish smile.

"Now what were you going to ask me?" he questioned, running water into his cup.

"I was wondering f I could possibly go into town sometime today once the rain slows to do some grocery shopping," I said thumbing my fingers cross my cup.

"If you wish," he said, turning to face me with a small smile and the mischievous twinkle in his eye. "But due to the fact that most of your power is sealed away I ask that you take both Tetsuya and Hiei with you."

* * *

><p>"She say's you shouldn't make promises you can't keep," David said, leaning his chin on his fist with his elbow resting on the table. Even though it was his day off, he had spent the morning working on copies of his patients charts to better help with their treatment. He had decided to take a break for a late lunch and made his way down to the Yukimura ramen shop to tell the Urameshi's that ran the place of Daelyn's letter.<p>

"Ha!" Yusuke barked out a laugh. "Just wait! I'll show her!" Both David and Keiko rolled their eyes as Yusuke went on to mutter something about finally being able to knock some sense into her.

"She also said that training is becoming difficult right now," David went on to say, looking over to Keiko who sat in front of him. Because it was later into the afternoon the lunch rush had already come and passed, leaving the three alone in the small shop. "She asked that you please hold off on writing to her until she has some more free time."

"I see," Keiko said, her shoulders drooping.

David gave a comforting smile to the girl. He had always liked that his sister and Keiko were friends. Even though Keiko was two and a half years older than his sister, Keiko always deeply cared for Daelyn. He didn't understand why at first. Keiko and Daelyn were completely different people. Keiko was always serious about school and studying, while his sister couldn't care less. Daelyn was a free spirit and a spit fire, with a vocabulary to match while Keiko was more reserved and settled down. Their personalities were stacked against each other in every way possible. But when David met Yusuke, he understood why their friendship had run so deep.

Yusuke and Daelyn could have been the same people if Daelyn fought in school or skipped every day. Keiko loved Yusuke, which meant her heart was soft for people that would normally be considered not very lovable. Daelyn and Yusuke both made it hard for people who didn't understand their up front personalities. Neither one of them would censor themselves for someone else's benefit and even though most people would say that they would appreciate that kind of honesty, most people didn't when they came face to face with it.

But if someone ever told them that they were so much alike, he was sure that who ever said it would be in for either some true pain, from Yusuke, or to be argued with until death, from Daelyn.

"She misses you all," David said pulling himself out of his thoughts. "I think she really wants to be home."

"Yeah, if Yokuto's training is anything like Genkai's was then I kind of feel bad for her," Yusuke said, plopping into the seat next to his wife. "It's pretty brutal."

"Don't say that!" Keiko said, shooting a cinnamon colored glare at him.

"I mean, I'm just saying!" Yusuke said, throwing his hands up in surrender. He lowered his hands after a moment when Keiko's glare softened with a sigh. "If she really does have so much power she has to learn to control it's going to be really tough. She's going to have a hell of a time ahead of her."

David nodded. Though he had never gone through any of this "training" that Yusuke or Daelyn had gone through, he could only imagine how hard it would be. He found himself staring out the window as a silence passed over the three, wishing that time would pass faster so she could be home again.

* * *

><p><span><strong>Please read me! I'm really important!<strong>

I'm so sorry this one is so short. I hate that I'm publishing an unfinished chapter, but if I don't get it out now it could well be Monday before it get's out. In case anyone hasn't ready my bio, I live in Oklahoma. We're getting hit with some pretty bad weather right now. Last night we had tornado sirens going off for over 90 minutes due to new tornadic activity happening before the other tornados had even lifted. We've got some serious flooding going on right now and we have three more days of this stuff coming in, another wave headed right for us as I type this. So I'm not going to be updating on my normal schedule for a few days because of the weather. Living in Oklahoma during a period of time like this means you need to be ready to go to a shelter in an instant. So please be patient with me and this tiny chapter. I promise that my next update will be a monster of a chapter to make up for this.

Anyway! I touched on the fact earlier that Daelyn is nineteen and hasn't ever had an alcoholic drink. The legal drinking age in Japan is twenty, and David is super over protective big brother.

**Aly Goode**: Yes, she did! I knew you were going to be so excited about that haha. The dragon in action is still a ways off, but the semi-tamed dragon will be making more appearances form now on. And I hope I did well on Dae-dae being worried about his arm. Thank you! It's really the spiciest scene that I've ever written and published. I was really worried about people not taking it well or not liking it haha. But I was like "why the hell not?" and went with it. I love writing her and Yusuke together, and I'm looking forward to bringing them together again. And coming from someone who has three older brothers, they would tell you that having more than one over protective older brother is better than having one. Even though I don't always agree haha.

**KK1372**: I'm glad you liked it! I was honestly worried that people were going to hate it or stop reading the story because it happened really soon. Mushy gushy is coming much much much later haha. Dae-dae and Hiei are stubborn and confused about their feelings, which means pushing each other away. I don't like stories that are filled with warm fuzzy feelings from beginning to end, and I refuse to write a story like that. We will see what happens with his dragon soon:)

**sam**: I'm happy you're a fan! I'll keep writing as long as people keep reading and enjoying:)

**Zakuro Nakishai**: I feel a little bad for him too, I won't lie haha. But at the same time I get a kick out of picturing his reactions to Daelyn's actions and responses. I'm really happy you enjoyed the kissing scene! It's one of the spiciest things I've published for the general public to see haha. Confused feelings are going to stick around for a while longer though I'm afraid. But things will work out..eventually:)

**Kiyunni**(Aka Silent reader) ahaha: Well, I'm happy I could change your mind about reading! I know what you mean about so many different ways people write about Hiei. I kind of tried to take everything and like. Meet it in the middle, I guess? I don't know how to explain it. But watching the anime, you can see that even though he's quiet than his other counterparts, he's damn sassy at times and can be really talkative. Once I got into the swing of writing him, I've really come to enjoy it. I really think that drawing things out makes things so much more interesting to read. Kuwabara and the others will be making their re appearance soon! The main plot is still a little bit off, but there will be plenty of action and comedic relief until then. And the way you signed really made me giggle haha. I needed that today :p

Thank you for everyone's favorites, follows and reviews! I love hearing feed back from everyone, so please send me a PM or leave a review and let me know what you think!

And once again, I'm so sorry about this one being so short. Forgive me?:)


	25. Chapter 25

"Either I will find a way, or I will make one." -Philip Sidney

Gravity

Chapter Twenty-five

Needless to say, Hiei was not amused by our predicament. It was mid morning by the time that the rain cleared off enough for us to be able to leave without being soaked to the bone. When I had finally found him stowed away in his room he hadn't been in a bad mood, until I told him that he had to go into town with Tetsuya and I. So after having to plead with him for about an hour to get him to agree to come, he grudgingly gave in when Yokuto had said that it would be fine for just Tetsuya and I to go. The twinkle in his eye told me that he had planned for Hiei to give in when he said that.

So now I was sitting next to a brooding Hiei and across from a bubbly Tetsuya on the twenty minute train ride into Misawa and was only armed with only the money Yokuto had given me, and the money I had brought with me in my bag. Between the glares that Hiei was giving Tetsuya and the way Tetsuya was ignoring those glares with his chatter made me think that I should have brought my bo.

"Have you ever been to Misawa, Daelyn?" he asked excitedly.

"Nope," I said shaking my head and smiling at his excitement.

"I haven't really been to.." he paused to glance around us to see if anyone was sitting close enough to hear us talk. "Human World. I'm really excited to see it."

I heard Hiei scoff next to me and I shot him a look through the corner of my eyes. "Well, we can look around all you want," I said softening my look to smile at the gray haired demon in front of me. Hiei's irritation washed over me when I said that, battling at the front of my mind with Tetsuya's utter excitement. I had a feeling that today was going to be a very, very long day.

Once the train had come to a stop and we got off, Tetsuya was almost bouncing in his excitement, which drew a lot of attention to our little group. Two other worldly looking men, one of which was rushing back and forth between signs and small souvenir shops, the other with a dark glare and set jaw with his arms crossed, the glare being directed at the excited man, and me who stood next to the dark and brooding one with my head hanging in one of my hands.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea," I muttered. Hiei grunted. With a heavy sigh I followed after the excited demon with Hiei following a few paces behind me. I needed to rein Tetsuya in before he drew anymore attention to us. It was _almost_ adorable, really. He was like a child visiting the zoo for the first time and was excited to see all of the animals. But in this case, it was a fully grown, twenty-something looking, gray headed man rushing back and forth to see all of the human world wonders and attractions while chattering fast enough that his words were morphing together in one jumbled stream.

When we were finally able to track him down, he had stopped in front of a map of Japan that was hung on one of the walls of the startion, staring at it with wide and curious eyes. His gaze broke away long enough to glance at us before turning back to the map.

"Where are we at on here?" Tetsuya asked when I came to stand next to him with Hiei a few feet back, whom I was certain was glaring at the back of Tetsuya's head. I looked up to the map and pointed at the top of Japan's main island. He studied where my finger pointed closely. "And where is the city you and David live in?" I pointed at Tokyo much further down the map.

"Tokyo," I said. "We live on the outskirts of Tokyo." I turned my head to watch him as he studied the map closely, his coal eyes twinkling with interest and excitement. He leaned forward, almost pressing his nose to the map to read the small kanji written on the different towns and cities. A small smile crossed over my face. He was so full of energy and life. Even though it seemed like his energy could be a handful today while we were in town, I found myself realizing that his energy is what attracted me to him in the first place.

Irritation rolled off of Hiei immediately after I thought about that. My teeth clicked together as I glanced over my shoulder. His glare was dark and glistening with anger and it was fixed directly at Tetsuya. His darkened gaze slid over to me, losing some of it's intensity, but I could still feel both his lighter and darker energy twisting in anger.

"Come on," I said, after breaking my gaze away from Hiei and tugging at Tetsuya's shirt. "Let's go get some lunch. I'm starving."

"Okay!" he said brightly matched with a huge smile.

"Are you hungry?" I asked Hiei. He scoffed at me and ignored my question. I felt my face fall a little. I was going to have to do some serious damage control now. With that I lead Tetsuya away from the train station with my grip still tight on his sleeve so he didn't wander off. Hiei stayed a few paces behind us as I searched through the small crowd for somewhere to eat, but due to the fact that somehow I managed to be shorter than the general populace, I couldn't see over the top of the crowd. With an irritated sigh, I came to a stop and looked up at Tetsuya then over to Hiei. "I can't see over the crowd," I admitted with a small blush. "Do either of you see anything?"

Hiei ignored my question, his energies still raging at the front of my mind. I could see his bandaged hand was clenching tightly as he tried to hide it with crossing his arms. I pursed my lips. Had I made the dragon angry? I had promised to try to not make it angry anymore, but to be honest, I wasn't exactly sure what I had been doing to make it angry. I let my mind focus on the darker energy, letting his lighter energy fade to the background. It roared at the front of my mind, twisting and curling around in it's anger. I sifted through the anger to see if I could possibly figure out what was causing it to be angry. My mind only came across one small glimmer of emotion behind the rage.

..._It's..jealous?_

I pulled my hand away from Tetsuya's sleeve like it was made of acid. Tetsuya paid no mind, but Hiei's ruby eyes glanced over at the lack of contact, and I felt his energies ease just a little. His eyes lifted to mine and I blushed, looking down at my feet. He was jealous of Tetsuya. If I hadn't felt it myself, I would have laughed at the idea of Hiei being jealous of anything.

"Over here!" Tetsuya chirped, reaching out to grab my hand and lacing his fingers with mine. My eyes nearly popped out of my head, the blush growing brighter on my face when Hiei's energies started burning brighter once again. I was fairly certain I had heard him growl as Tetsuya pulled me through the crowd. I shot a look of apology over my shoulder but his glare wasn't faltering from the back of Tetsuya's head. I was beginning to wonder how long it was going to take for Tetsuya to burst into flames from the heat coming from Hiei's glare.

Tetsuya pulled me into a small restaurant, completely unaware of the fiery glare that was being directed at him. Hiei followed a few paces behind, grudgingly following us inside. Tetsuya still held firmly onto my hand, chattering excitedly while we were seated. Once he let go of my hand I slid into the booth, trying to keep my blush at bay, but it was still coming full force as Tetsuya sat next to me. The anger from Hiei bubbled further into the front of my mind as he sat across from me, though he made a point to not look at either of us, and fixed his glare to outside of the window.

Part of me was actually surprised that he had come inside with us, but the other part of me was too busy trying to figure out how I was going to deal with this. The last thing I had expected from Hiei is that he would be jealous, even though I didn't think it was directly him that was jealous. Maybe he could feel the emotions that the dragon was feeling. _Or maybe.._ I thought, looking him through my eyelashes as I tried to busy myself with the menu in front of me. _The dragon feels what he does._

I pursed my lips. That would mean it was Hiei that was jealous, not just the dragon. But, why was he jealous of Tetsuya? Did he know that Tetsuya had feelings for me? Probably. He also probably knew that I kind of had a crush on the not-so-shadow demon. But then he should also know that I was trying to figure out whatever the hell I was feeling for him before I figured anything out with Tetsuya. There was nothing to be jealous about.

_Unless.._ My eyes tore away from him and stared wide and unseeingly at the laminated menu in my hands. Unless the kiss had meant more to him than what I thought. He had acted as if the kiss wasn't anything to be worried about, and he didn't seem at all concerned about it. But Hiei was the stoic type. It wasn't as if he was just going to spill his heart out to me. I would probably be more concerned about if he had hit his head or not if he started talking to me about his feelings.

I chewed the inside of my lip as my mind spun around, trying to figure out what to do. I needed to talk to Hiei about what had happened. But the hard part was finding time to do so. Between my training, Tetsuya always seeking conversation and company, and trying to get enough sleep at night, my free time was little and far between. Perhaps if we got home in enough time today and I could sneak away from the other two men in the temple I could track down Hiei and get him to talk to me. But as Tetsuya chattered away next to me I was beginning to doubt we would get home before dark.

_Why did Yokuto do this to me..?_

* * *

><p>Yokuto stood at the top of the steps of the porch, one arm crossed over his chest and the other hand lifting up to his lips so he could hold the pipe lightly in between his teeth. The rain had cleared off for the moment, but the clouds looked ready to release another down pour at any moment. The temple was quiet without his student and her shadow demon friend.<p>

It had been a long time since he had taken a student under his wing. Twenty years, at least. No student that had come to him had truly perked his interest. But when Koenma had come to him personally to ask for him to take Daelyn in for his training he knew that his curiosity wouldn't be sated until he had met the girl. The girl had been born and raised human, killed, then brought back to life to be slowly transforming into one of the most notoriously strong breeds of demon. It made him curious as to why an energy demon would go through so much effort for a simple human girl who had no previously known spiritual awareness. He had agreed to train the girl without much hesitation.

Now that he had met her and come to know her, he was beginning to see why. Daelyn had a fire in her, even if she herself didn't see that. Though she got frustrated easily, and at times said she was going to give up, she never did. He had come to admire her drive to better herself. He hadn't had many students before her that would take his training in strides like she did. Even if she did complain about it.

To further his entertainment of his new student, Hiei and Tetsuya had made things even more interesting. He had seen the first night Daelyn came to the temple that something was going on between her and the fire demon. Then Tetsuya came to stay in the temple, stirring things up even further. Some would consider it cruel, but he found the entire situation rather amusing.

The shadow demon had developed an obvious crush on his student. Hiei and Daelyn had at least kissed that night on the beach when he had interrupted. Hiei hated Tetsuya, and Tetsuya was completely oblivious to that. An amused smirk came to Yokuto's face as a trail of smoke rose from his lips. The opportunity had presented itself for him to push things even further. He had sent Daelyn, with the two other demons in the temple into town. He was looking forward to see what would come of it.

A loud mewl came from his feet. He glanced down to see Mi staring up at him with questioning eyes.

"Hungry?" he asked the dragon tailed cat. He was answered with another loud mew and an eruption of purrs. He turned to head back into the temple as the rain started to come down in a drizzle. Mi followed at his side, her belled collar jingling with her every step. He glanced down to the furry creature. "She's going to be rather upset with me, isn't she?"

She gave a mew of agreement.

* * *

><p>I was going to kill Yokuto.<p>

I was going to snatch him up and hang him to a tree by that pretty hair of his and beat him with my bo like a live pinata until he begged for forgiveness and then maybe, just maybe, I would forgive him for putting me through this.

After Tetsuya and I ate lunch and Hiei pointedly ignoring the both of us and opting to not eat, Tetsuya dragged me around the entire city of Misawa with Hiei grudgingly following along, with his two energies roaring up a storm of rage the further we walked. He would stand outside whatever store that Tetsuya dragged me into while I was asked to explain everything in the little shops.

We were currently in a medium sized clothing store and Tetsuya was combing through the racks, asking about certain fashions that didn't make sense to him. Like the floral crop top he was holding up after beginning his searching through the women's section.

"It's a crop top," I said, resisting the urge to sigh.

"But..why would you expose your stomach to attack like this?" he asked, his coal eyes glittering with curiosity. "It's missing half of it."

I glanced around to make sure there weren't any wandering ears before I answered. "Some girls just like them," I said. "Humans have had stranger fashion trends. It's just what's in right now," I continued, shrugging. "Like shoulder pads in t-shirts in the nineties. Or the beehive hair in the sixties. And corsets paired with white lead paint on women's faces to make them paler in the renaissance."

He pursed his lips as his eyes narrowed, further studying the shirt on the hanger. After a few moments he nodded and put it back on the rack (in which is after I had to get onto him multiple times to do so because I didn't want to anger the workers). Once the shirt was safely back on the racks, his eyes searched around us once again. I was on the verge of grabbing him by the arm and dragging him out of the store. The rain that had cleared off when we left had come back while we were eating lunch. There was another break in the down pour, and maybe if we hurried we could make it to the grocery store-

I was suddenly dragged off further into the store. We came to a stop in front of a rack on the wall. It was filled with dresses of a multitude of different colors. He was searching through a rack of blue dresses, his eyes looking me over as he pulled a few dresses off the rack. I narrowed my gaze at him in suspicion. He gave a bright smile as he pulled two of them off of the rack and held them out to me.

"You should try these on!" he chirped happily.

"..What?" I asked, my voice dropping in tone.

"Please?" he asked, batting his eyelashes at me, and flashing me a pleading smile. "For me?"

"Why?" I asked, suspicion dripping heavily from my voice. What was he up to?

"If you try it on I won't drag you into any other stores, and we can go grocery shopping and go home," he said, his smile growing even further. "I promise."

I took a long moment to consider his offer. Either refuse to try on the dresses and be dragged from store to store for another undisclosed amount of hours with an aggravated Hiei in tow, or give in, try on the dresses, finish grocery shopping quickly and go home within the next two hours. I let out a heavy sigh.

"Fine," I grumbled. I took the two dresses from him and dragged my feet to the dressing rooms in the back of the store with Tetsuya bouncing along happily behind me. Most of them were empty, so I chose one close to the entrance of the dressing room so I could show Tetsuya quickly and get out. The two dresses were the same dress, just different sizes. I undressed quickly, and pulled the one in my size off of the hanger and slipped it over my head. I would have to give him props later at being able to choose the right size without asking, and then tell him that he should never ask a woman what size she wore so to just use his instinct about guessing.

I took a moment to look at myself in the floor length mirror in the dressing room. The dress was actually very pretty. It had thin straps on the shoulders, and hugged to my upper body enough to give me a little bit of shape, but not enough to constrict me. At the lower waist it flared out into a flowy skirt that brushed against the tops of my knees. It was a blue that was the same color of the pictures that you see of the ocean when places are trying to convince you to come to their resort on vacation. A white braided rope belt came with the dress to sit on the seam of the dress to give it some seperation.

After taking a moment to look myself over, I ran my fingers through my bangs and opened the door to go and show Tetsuya. He was waiting patiently outside, rocking slightly on the balls of his feet as his eyes darted around the store. When I came to stand in the doorway his eyes fell on me. He blinked once. Then twice. A soft smile came over his face. He then closed the distance between us with three large strides, his eyes trailing over the dress. I stared up at him with a blush coming over my face. His face was void of his hyper happiness, instead replaced by a soft look on his features.

"It suits you," he said softly. "You look beautiful."

"U-um, I..U-uh well.." I stammered out, my ears growing hot. What the hell was I supposed to say to that? He had called me beautiful before, but he didn't say it right out like this. My back stiffened into a rod when he reached for my hand and brought it to his lips, pressing them softly to the back of my hand. He let my hand drop back to my side and smiled at me brightly once again.

"Well, if you're ready to get home we should get grocery shopping done soon!" he said happily.

I gave a weak nod and spun on my heels to dart back to the dressing room that I changed in. Once behind the safety of the dressing room door, I pressed my forehead against the coolness of the heavy door, desperately trying to ease the blush on my face. _Oh god, _I groaned to myself. _What have I gotten myself into?_

* * *

><p>When we exited the clothing store to find a non existent Hiei. I could sense his energy somewhere near by, though I wasn't exactly sure where. I paled as they came over me. They were both on a new level of anger that I hadn't experienced from him before. Had he seen what had happened? Did he see Tetsuya kiss my hand? Or did he read our minds and see what had happened?<p>

"He must have gotten bored waiting for us," Tetsuya said, slowly drawing my attention to him. "Oh well," he smiled. "Let's go finish shopping and get home."

I gave a silent nod and headed for the direction of the store with Tetsuya following closely behind. What had I done? This whole situation was so stupid. All of it. From the very beginning. I should have talked to Hiei that first night when I had kissed him instead of trying to push it off. I should have asked him what the kiss meant to him. How could I have been so stupid to try and push off the conversation that we needed to have? Now Tetsuya had made a move and Hiei was angry. What could I have done about it though? Tetsuya wasn't someone who could be easily controlled. His actions were sporadic and completely his own.

Maybe I should have told Tetsuya that I had kissed Hiei. Then he wouldn't have kissed my hand, right? I grit my teeth. Honestly, I doubt it would have mattered. Tetsuya seemed to be the type to act first, ask questions later. Hiei and I weren't an item. Were we? I honestly didn't know. And since I didn't know, I wouldn't have known what to tell Tetsuya so it probably wouldn't have effected his idea to kiss my hand.

What am I supposed to do now?

* * *

><p>The train ride home was much more subdued than it was before. After spending only an hour in the store, we were headed home. Tetsuya had asked a load of questions as we passed things but he didn't run off like he had earlier that day. Now he was sitting next to me on the train with his eyes closed and his head leaned back on the seat. I knew he wasn't asleep, but I was sure that his pent up energy had been spent today.<p>

I didn't see Hiei for the rest of the time we were in town. I felt him near by, but the strong and whirling emotions coming off of him made it hard for me to pin point exactly where he was. He didn't board the train with us. I felt horrible about it, but at the same time, I felt like it wasn't my fault. I couldn't control what Tetsuya did. I didn't even know how Hiei really felt about me. What did he expect me to do when Tetsuya kissed my hand? Slap him? Tell him to screw off? I couldn't do that to him. He was too sweet. I couldn't break his heart like that.

But now I had to deal with damage control. I needed to find time to track Hiei down and make him talk to me. Possibly tonight if Yokuto didn't have anything plotted for me when we got back to the temple. The question was, would he talk to me even if I tried to make him? The anger coming from him told me probably not, and even if he did, it would probably be kind of scary. I had never personally dealt with an angry Hiei, but something told me that it wasn't something I wanted to be at the end of.

Once the train had come to a stop, Tetsuya carried all of the bags of food that we had gotten from the store and we exited out of the station. He handled the steps up to the temple with ease, even loaded down with heavy bags. I still struggled with them quite a bit but, unlike Hiei, Tetsuya didn't throw insults at me. Instead he slowed his pace so I could keep up with him. I grit my teeth as he chattered about different things he had seen through the day. The scars on my chest hadn't hurt in some time thanks to that green paste that Kurama had given me. Yet there was something about the damned steps that made them ache all over again.

Hiei's energy had long since disappeared somewhere by the time we made it to the top of the stairs. I guess once he decided we were close enough to the temple he didn't want to follow us anymore. Tetsuya didn't make any comment about it as I followed him into the temple to put away the groceries. Yokuto greeted us in the hallway, stepping out of the living room area.

"I didn't expect it to be a whole days trip," he said, his eyes twinkling. Mi rushed passed him and jumped into my arms, mewling in greeting as she rubbed her face against mine. I shot him a bland look as I scratched her behind the ears with one of my hands. I was going to give him a piece of my mind later. "How did you like Misawa?" he asked with a knowing smile.

"It was great!" Tetsuya spoke up with a grin. "Human world cities are so interesting!" He and Yokuto disappeared into the dinning room, Tetsuya chattering about today the entire time. I took my first quiet moment of the day to lean tiredly against the wall with a heavy sigh. Mi tucked her head under my chin, purring deeply into my skin.

Today was exhausting on a physical and mental level. Physically exhausting because I was fairly certain that Tetsuya had dragged us around Misawa at least three times. Mentally exhausting because I was now dealing with an angry and jealous dragon and it's owner that I had no idea how to deal with. Who ever thought that love triangles were a romantic thing needed to get their head checked out because this shit it stressful.

After taking a few moments to myself, I went to the kitchen to help the two men putting away the groceries.

* * *

><p>"You're distracted," Shizuru's voice came, breaking David out of his deep thought.<p>

"Ah, yes," he said sheepishly with an apologetic smile. "Forgive me. I'm not being a very interesting date tonight, am I?"

"Not really," she said smoothly. A small smile graced her face after she spoke, telling him that she wasn't angry that he was distracted. "What's on your mind?"

David let out a quiet sigh and sat back in his seat. His eyes traced along the restaurant. Although it wasn't anything over the top fancy, it was nicer than most places he frequented. He had called Shizuru earlier to ask if she'd like to go to dinner and was pleasantly surprised that she agreed on such short notice. He was thankful that she understood that it wasn't the best idea for him to make plans a few days in advance. He'd had to cancel more times than he could count on with things he had planned with Daelyn because he would be called into work.

"It's Daelyn," he said after a moment. "I'm worried about her."

"She's with Hiei," Shizuru said, running her fingers through her long pale brunette hair. "She's safe. Unless," her eyes narrowed slightly. "That's the reason you're worried."

"Yes," he said, smiling at her guess. She had already told him of her spiritual awareness, and her uncanny ability to foresee things. It ran in the Kuwabara family. "Her letter this morning has me worried about those two. When everything first started happening," he began, making sure to use loose terms so any listening ears wouldn't think anything of what he was saying. "I made her promise to talk to me should she be thinking about making any serious moves in a relationship with someone. I think she was possibly trying to tell me that in her letter."

"You feel responsible for her," Shizuru observed. "I'm the same way with Kazuma. Our parents are pretty much no shows, you know? I've taken care of him our entire lives. You're trying to be her father, mother, and brother all at the same time. Trying to get her to talk to you about it like she would your mother, protect her from the big bad boyfriend like your father, but at the same time you want to just be her brother and want to step back and let her do what she wants to do and be there to help pick up the pieces should something happen and then go kick the big bad boyfriends ass for hurting your little sister. How close am I to being right?" she asked, with a smile.

"Scarily correct," he sighed and then returned the smile. "If I would have let her date in school I feel like this wouldn't be such a big deal now."

"It wouldn't be," she said honestly. That was one thing he liked so much about Shizuru. She didn't beat around the bush. "But you can't change that now. You just need to step back and let her learn from her own decisions. She can't be sheltered her entire life. I hope that she does talk to you about anything she's confused about, but you can't be angry if she doesn't. You're her older brother. Just be there for her when she needs you."

David didn't answer right away, taking a moment to let her words sink in. Maybe he was expecting too much from Daelyn. When it came down to it at the end of the day he wasn't anything more than her older brother. He never would be anything else. He reached across the table and took one of Shizuru's hands in his.

"Thank you," he said quietly.

"You're welcome," she answered with a light blush.

* * *

><p>We had spent so much time in town that by the time we had put everything up, it was time to begin cooking dinner. Tetsuya left Yokuto and I alone in the kitchen to work while he went off and did whatever he did when he was alone.<p>

"So tell me," Yokuto said glancing up at me from the fish he was cleaning. "How was it in Misawa today?"

"You already asked that," I grumbled, forcefully chopping the vegetables in front of me. It was still in the back of my mind to string him to a tree by his hair and beat him with my bo.

"And you weren't the one that answered," he chuckled. "To Tetsuya it might have been great, but for you it may have been different. And you know how I feel about you lying," he said in a non threatening way, but I knew better than that.

"It was exhausting," I said quietly. "I think I know Misawa like the back of my hand now with how Tetsuya dragged me through it so many times. I'm probably just going to go to bed after dinner." It wasn't exactly a lie. I just didn't tell him everything that had happened.

"I see," he said. "Perhaps your training has been too easy if you tire yourself out so easily. You need better stamina. We'll work on that."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. He probably knew that I wasn't telling him everything and this was his way at getting back at me about it. But I wasn't going to give in and spill my guts to him. I could feel Mi's eyes burning into me. I glanced at her through the corner of my eyes. Her ears twitched back and forth and I knew that she knew more than I was willing to tell Yokuto. I pursed my lips and pointed a finger at her to tell her to keep silent. She simply swished her tail back and forth.

We finished cooking dinner in silence and set the table. Only Tetsuya joined us. I could barely feel Hiei's energies somewhere outside. I decided while I dished out some fish for Mi that I would go and track down Hiei after I ate and force him to talk to me. I couldn't deal with this anymore.

I ate mostly in silence, trying to figure out what I was going to say to him. Tetsuya tried to pull me into conversation a few times, but then gave up after a while and pretty much left me alone. After we finished eating he helped me clean up, drying the dishes as I washed them. We knocked those out quickly and I put Hiei's plate that I had saved into the fridge incase he got hungry later and headed to my room to grab a jacket.

Mi made herself comfortable on one of the pillows and quickly fell asleep as I pulled the jacket on. I shook my head at her with a small laugh. Life must be so easy to be a cat. Once outside, I pulled the jacket closer to me, getting a slight chill from the air. It had stopped raining, but the clouds had yet to clear off, making the night so much darker than it should have been. Luckily, my telekinesis helped with that. In the dark I could see energy glowing off of everything which helped me see everything.

I set off into the forest towards the direction that Hiei's energies were the strongest. I trekked through the forest, careful of where my feet were stepping. I could hear things moving in the brush and I really didn't want to find out if it was some kind of poisonous snake that didn't appreciate me stepping on it. The forest, surprisingly, wasn't very thick. Don't get me wrong, there were still a bang load of trees and wild over grown ferns, but there wasn't a lot for me to trip over even though I still managed to do it a few times.

As I got closer to where Hiei was, the hotter his energy grew, threatening to burn everything around me. I pursed my lips as I came to stand where it was the strongest I had felt it. He was somewhere near by.

"Hiei?" I called out softly. I knew he would be able to hear me. With his demon ears and the quiet rustle in the forest, I didn't need to shout to get his attention. Almost immediately, his burning energies cooled and almost completely disappeared around me. I pursed my lips. Did he just run from me? I heard movement behind me and I spun around to see a pair of ruby eyes glaring at me in the darkness. He must have been trying to mask his energy. Even though I could see the energy of everything around me, his own was subdued to almost a nonexistent glimmer. The courage I had before started to melt away as he crossed his arms and leaned his shoulder against the tree he was standing next to, his glare unwavering as he looked at me. "I-I..I need to talk to you," I said quietly and averting my gaze to the ground.

"Clearly," he scoffed harshly.

I resisted the urge to flinch at his voice. I swallowed the nervous lump in my throat and looked up at him through my bangs. "When I kissed you," I started, my voice a lot quieter than I wanted it to be. "It..meant something to me. When you pulled me out of my meditation, the color of emotion I was experiencing was..lust. But it meant more to me than that. But that wasn't the only reason, I think..." I trailed off, and lifted my head to fully look at him. His gaze had narrowed even further with his body rigid at my words. "Did..it mean anything to you?"

He looked at me for a long moment. My mouth dried out in my nervousness for his answer. The silence around us was deafening, bringing a ringing to my ears as I strained to hear whatever it was he was going to say. I shivered against a cool breeze that broke through the trees, rustling the leaves above us, causing them to rain down the rain water that had collected on their leaves and branches. I watched him closely. He really had gone rigid. He wasn't moving at all, not even a rise and fall of his chest signaling his breathing. His jaw was clenched tightly with his brow drawn above his narrowed glare. My heart would have skipped a beat if it was actually beating when I saw him open his mouth to answer.

"Don't be foolish, woman," he snapped. "It meant nothing."

I felt my heart sink into the pit of my stomach. Tears pricked at the corner of my eyes, but I refused to let them blur my vision. "Okay," I whispered. "Sorry to bother you." I went to move passed him to head back to the temple before my tears could call. I made sure to leave a few feet between us as I walked by him. "I saved you some dinner. It's in the fridge if you get hungry," I said, forcing my voice to a normal level and keep it from wavering.

Once I was far enough away from him, I picked up my pace and ran back to the temple. My heart was still in the pit of my stomach and it felt like it was being stabbed over and over again. I slowed down once I got to the stairs that lead up to the porch and paused for a second to rub my sleeves over my eyes to dry any tears that threatened to fall. I didn't want to run into Yokuto or Tetsuya while on the verge of tears. I didn't want them asking questions.

I kept my head down as I made my way to my room, thankfully not running to either of the two men in the temple. When I closed my door behind me, I flicked the light off, undressed from my jeans and jacket and crawled into bed. Mi gave a quiet mew and came to snuggle with me. She tucked her head under my chin and kneaded comfort into my shoulder. I wrapped my arms around her and buried my face into the fur on the top of her head.

The tears wanted to fall, but I refused to let them. If it meant nothing to him, I wasn't going to let it mean anything to me.

* * *

><p>HIEI. HOW DARE YOU BREAK OUR LITTLE DAE-DAE'S HEART. YOU JERK.<p>

This is definitely not as big as I wanted it to be, but I do like where I ended it. And it's definitely bigger than last chapter, so at least there's that.

Thank you for the patience with me while I had to wait out for the weather! Everything is fine here. We missed the brunt of the tornadoes by a couple of miles and mostly just got some crazy flooding. I'm talking about eight to ten inches of rain in less than an hour and a half. We got some water damage, but other than that everything is okay. We've got some more rain coming in Wednesday that no one here is excited for though. They aren't talking about it being too severe though, but you never know with Oklahoma and this time of year.

**KK1372**: Texas has been getting hit pretty hard with the same weather, so I hope you and your family is okay as well! Thank you for the prayers. We're doing fine, now we're mostly just trying to figure out a way to keep flood waters from getting inside again haha. My cats weren't a fan of that water.

**Guest: **Thank you! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**Heve-chan**: I love the bandaging scene! I'm very proud of it haha. I'm sure it did make the dragon very happy! David is just worried, you know? Shizuru is definitely trying to set him straight about it. She understands he means well, but from her own experience she knows that sometimes its better to just step back and let the younger siblings make their own mistakes. So _hopefully_ he'll back off now. But there's no telling. These characters have minds of their own, I'm telling you. They write themselves haha. Tornadoes are really just a way of life where I live, especially in the spring and summer. Oklahoma will generally get hit with anywhere between 20 to over a hundred tornadoes a year, depending on how the jet stream hits us that year. They can be pretty scary though, especially if you don't experience them often! Floods are something that we aren't used to though. No one was expecting to have knee deep water just sitting on the ground while trying to get to their shelters. A lot of shelters even came up out of the ground because of all the rain. But, we're resilient and wouldn't have Oklahoma any other way. And I love this story too much to fully give up on it. Come hell or high water, I will complete this story and the Kurama story I have planned after this one!

Thank you for the favorites, follows and reviews! Please PM me or leave a review and let me know what you think!


	26. Chapter 26

"Perhaps I am stronger than I think." -Thomas Merton

Gravity

Chapter Twenty-six

I was only able to sleep for a few hours before my restless mind kept me laying in the dark completely wide awake. I tried desperately to go back to sleep. I could see from how dark it was outside that I still had a few hours before I needed to be awake for training. But it was no good. Sleep evaded me like a man dying of dehydration needing rain in the desert. After about an hour I gave up trying to force myself to sleep.

I crawled out of the comforting warmth of my bed, careful to not disturb Mi, and dressed for training. I needed to keep my mind busy. As I left my room I grabbed my bo and the gold ribbon hanging on the top of it and quietly made my way down the dark hall to not disturb anyone. I stopped in the kitchen long enough to grab an apple and eat before heading outside to the beach where the posts were.

The wind and rain from the day before caused some of the posts to lean sideways in the sand and the stones they had been holding up laying a few feet away from them. I took a few minutes to straighten them and packed the still damp sand around the bases of them and balanced their rocks on the top of them. I wiped the sand off of my hands onto my leggings before wrapping the ribbon around my eyes. Though the darkness I could see the energy from everything around me, morphing into shapeless globs of pale light. With a heavy sigh I lifted the bo into stance and tried to focus my mind on forcing the globs of energy into the shapes they were supposed to be.

My mind started wandering away from me and worrying more about a certain ruby eyed demon. How could he tell me that the kiss hadn't meant anything? I could feel his emotions and the way they flared around me. The dragon was all but wrapping itself around me when I bandaged his arm. Except when I tried to apologize for kissing him he told me not to apologize because there was nothing to apologize for. I had taken that as maybe he wanted me to. But maybe, I had read into it wrong. Maybe it was because I didn't need to apologize because it hadn't meant anything.

God, how could I have been so stupid to think that Hiei would be interested in someone like me? I was weak. I couldn't even make these stupid energies take shape of what they were supposed to be. I couldn't protect myself from attack. He was only here because Koenma told him that he had to be here. He wasn't doing it out of the kindness of his heart. He was just the only one who could do it. Koenma made him to it because I was too weak to protect myself. Even when I was taken I was too weak to escape. He had to come and save me like some damsel in distress.

Now I had gone and done something stupid. I kissed him and then expected it to mean something to him like it meant something to me. I was so stupid. Stupid and weak. Hiei would never be interested in someone like me. Even if his dragon was for some unknown reason. He probably thought I was just some stupid and weak human minded girl.

_No, _I thought with a growl. _He thinks I'm pathetic. _

That made my blood boil. I was not pathetic. Just because I had all of these powers pushed onto my shoulders and I didn't know how to control them did not make me pathetic. The energies around me began to shine brighter, and concentrate down to smaller shapes. I felt my own energy begin flaring around me, forcing the shapes to become tighter and smaller, forming shapes in the globs of light.

As I focused more through my anger, everything around me started to take shape. I could see where everything was. Each of the trees, the sand, the ocean, the posts with the rocks on top. I could finally see in the darkness with the energy every living thing and non living thing gave off.

I wasn't pathetic. And I would prove it.

* * *

><p>Hiei felt her energy flare from over half a mile away. The dragon churned under his skin, but brought no further harm to his right arm. He had spent most of the night sealing the dragon away under the bandages. After he had let her leave after confessing her feelings, the dragon had begun tearing away viciously at his arm, roaring in his ears loud enough to nearly deafen him. He had to make it stop before it permanently damaged his arm beyond repair.<p>

The dragon had fought him and tore against his flesh while he placed the seals across his arm. The blood was seeping through the bandages from the wounds it had caused, but he didn't bother to worry about changing them. If he took the seals off, the dragon would just cause more damage. The bleeding would stop on it's own.

He could still feel the dragons rage under his skin, but it had been dulled by the seals. The energy that the girl was giving off made the dragon even more restless. He was certain that the sudden flare of energy would wake her half breed teacher and her shadow demon friend so he didn't bother to move from his perch in the large oak tree he was sitting in.

He knew that this sudden flare was caused by him. Her power, like the detectives, was triggered by emotions. The girl had been hurt when he denied any feelings for her. But it was her own fault. Did she really expect him to feel anything for her? Someone so weak she couldn't even protect herself?

_But she would get stronger_ the back of his mind whispered. He pushed those thoughts away. It didn't matter. There was nothing to gain from being with the girl and mating with her. He doubted that she even knew what would come with being with another demon in that way. She had no idea what she would be getting herself into.

He wouldn't feel guilty for turning her away, no matter how much he or the dragon wanted her. There was nothing to feel guilty for. He had done much worse in his past than hurt a weak girls feelings. She was too innocent for her own good. It was best for him to just keep his distance from her.

* * *

><p>Yokuto joined me on the beach as I knocked the last stone off of it's post with a baseball bat swing, sending it soaring out into the ocean. I turned to face him as the rock splashed into the ocean.<p>

"You can see," he observed, coming to stand a few feet away from me. "How long have you been out here?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"An hour or two," I answered, with a shrug. My anger was starting to simmer away. "Couldn't sleep," I continued, "I just figured I'd get a head start for today." In reality I had just wanted something to distract my mind from thinking about Hiei. It hadn't worked, but at least it pushed me forward in my training.

"How well can you see?" he asked, shifting and drawing his two tonfa out of the sash at his waist.

"Well enough," I said with a grimace and raising my bo into stance. It was a strange sensation to be able to see while my eyes were shut. The energy that surrounded everything gave shape, but my brain added in the color. Some colors were more vibrant than others. Such as, Yokuto's eyes were the same molten silver that I had come to know well. But his clothes were a dull color somewhere in between blue and green, but at the same time could have been gray. I quickly realized that the colors of things that I was familiar with my mind could easily place, but the colors I wasn't familiar with were mostly gray. Things were still a little hazy around the edges, but I had a feeling that it would get better with time.

I watched hesitantly as Yokuto twirled the tonfa in his hands. He lunged at me and knocked the bo out of my hands, landing a hit on my ribs as I tried to recover. I ducked under another hit, snatching the bo up out of the sand and swung at his legs. He jumped over it with ease, and I had to reel back and skirt away from another onslaught of spins from his tonfa. Before I could fully find my footing, he spun and sent a kick to the side of my head, sending me to the ground with stars spinning around me. I was fairly certain that the blow had knocked me unconscious for a few moments as I laid there in the sand. Yokuto came to stand over me.

"You're doing better," he said with a smile.

"You just knocked the shit out of me," I said with a painful hiss. "How is that doing better?"

"Because I was only able to hit you twice out of the twenty other times I tried," he said, reaching his hand down to me to help me up. I took it grudgingly and let him pull me to my feet. "I was correct in my assumption that forcing you to use your telekinesis and blocking your sense of sight is going to be a determining factor in your strength."

"What does that mean?" I asked with a sigh. "Human terms please."

"When you use your sight you over think shit," he said plainly, but I could see the amused smile on his face. "I doubt you'll ever be able to properly fight without a blind fold."

"Oh," I said with a huff. "That makes sense..I guess. But, why?"

"I believe it's because of the trauma you went through at Seikatsu's castle," he said quietly, his smile disappearing. "The darkness causes you to have a fight or flight response. Even though in your mind you can see, your eyes are still seeing nothing but darkness. It triggers in your subconscious."

I paused for a moment to let that sink in. "So, you're saying that in a round-about and twisted way that Seikatsu..helped me?"

"Seikatsu doesn't want you dead, Daelyn," he said, his voice even softer than before. "He wants you to become stronger. What he did, wasn't in around about way. He did help you to become stronger. We're just approaching this at a different angle."

I grit my teeth at his words and turned my head to look out over the ocean. I felt my stomach twist painfully. Yokuto was right. In his own sick and twisted way, Seikatsu was trying to make me stronger when he drugged me and stuck me in that dark room. There was no doubt in my mind that he was evil, through and through. But he had helped me. Not only had he given me an approach to my power and strength that made it easier for me to better myself, but he gave me a reason to better myself. I needed to get better, to get stronger, to protect myself and everyone I cared for, against him. I wouldn't let him catch me off guard again.

"Well," I said heavily. "I'll just have to thank him when I kick his ass," I said, turning back to face Yokuto with a smile. "But, he knows that I'm here," I added on a second thought. "He comes into my dreams to talk to me."

"I'm aware," he nodded. "Hiei told me," he continued, and I forced myself to not flinch at Hiei's name. "But a good friend of mine taught me a long time ago how to protect my lands from any demons that mean ill intent on me or any one on my lands. He actually had a helping hand in Hiei finding you. His name is Hisao."

"Huh," I hummed. "I'll have to thank him someday."

"I'm sure he would enjoy meeting you," Yokuto said, smiling once again. "Now, enough talking. It's time to continue 'knocking the shit out of you'."

I sighed and raised my bo into stance. I had a feeling I was going to be nursing some bruises after this.

* * *

><p>David let out a heavy sigh as he sat on the couch, placing Daelyn's mp3 player next to the letter he had just finished writing. He had just gotten off work long enough to shower the smell of sickness and death off of him, and write his response to her letter. His body was worn and ached all over. The beginnings of a head ache had started to throb behind his eyes. He leaned his head back against the back of the couch and pressed the base of his palms into his eyes trying to ease the pain away before it got too bad. But he knew better than that.<p>

These were the headaches he was becoming all to familiar with. He had been working in the ICU for the last two and a half weeks. Two of his patients had died today. One had been an older gentleman who had sustained a head injury. He had woken up and was stable for a few days before falling into a coma, becoming virtually brain dead. After three days of no response, his family decided to pull the plug. He hadn't even left the room when he heard the heart monitor flat line. The other patient was a young girl who had been sick with some unknown disease for a long time. She lost her battle with it early on in his shift, casting a heavy and dark air over him for the rest of his twelve hour shift.

Losing patients was inevitable. He knew that. But as he rubbed his hands down his face and stared up at the white ceiling he knew that each death would hit him as hard as the first death he had experienced under his care. Some days he wondered if perusing this career was even worth it, or if he had wasted all of his time and money in school to just not be able to help people. There were some good days that reminded him that it all really was worth it, to see families cry out in joy that their father, brother, mother, sister or any other family member that was important to them, had pulled through. They were going to live and they were going to be okay. He silently prayed to whatever God there was that tomorrow would be one of those days.

"Oh!" came a surprised voice, causing David to startle and sit up straight. His eyes landed on a coal eyed, ash colored haired man in the corner of the room, just stepping out of the shadows. "You're here. I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were home or I would have teleported outside and knocked."

"It's alright," David said, the tension easing in his body. "Tetsuya, right?" The demon nodded with a bright smile.

"I came a day early but, yesterday Daelyn took me with her to Misawa to do some shopping. She was really patient with all of my questions so I figured if you had written your letter that it could be my thanks to her," he said, rocking on the balls of his feet.

"I just finished," he said nodding to the letter and the mp3 player. "How is she doing?" he asked as Tetsuya crossed the room in two long strides to pick up both items. "Really. Not some generic answer she would give me if I asked her."

"She's doing really well," he said confidently. "She's getting stronger every day. Yokuto definitely pushes her, but it's nothing she isn't handling."

"Good," David said with a sigh. "That's good. I'm glad." He let his shoulders slump and rested his elbows on his knees, clasping his hands together. "How are her hallucinations?"

"I don't think she's had one since her first day of training," Tetsuya answered after giving a moment of thought. "At least, that's what Yokuto has said. But, I have to be getting back before Yokuto get's mad that I'm taking too long."

"Alright," David nodded. "Send my thanks to him for taking care of her, please."

"Will do," he said, crossing the room to move into the shadows in the corner. He paused to look over his shoulder. "And man, I know it's not really any of my business, but you don't look well. Maybe you should call someone."

David sent the demon a small smile and then he was alone as Tetsuya morphed into the shadows. Silence crept over him like a sickness, leaving him cold. He let his head hang in between his shoulders as he closed his eyes to listen to the faint ticking of the clock in his room. Days like these were the hardest with Daelyn gone. He hadn't realized before how much she livened up the house with her presence. Her snarky responses and general life goal to annoy him kept his mind preoccupied from wandering into places he didn't want to think about.

With a sigh he reached into his pocket to pull out his phone. Perhaps Shizuru was free.

* * *

><p>I gave a quiet groan as I lowered myself into the hot spring. It was after sunset now, and I was covered in sand and bruises. The steaming water eased my aching muscles as a small smile etched across my face. It had taken me all day, but I had finally landed a hit on Yokuto and it had surprised him just as much as it has surprised me.<p>

_I spun away from one of his wide swings and batted the other tonfa away with my bo. My ribs protested against me, but I lunged forward and slammed my shoulder into his stomach, knocking him off balance. Before he could recover his footing, I swung my bo around and landed a hit to the side of his knees, knocking him to the sand. With my bo gripped in both of my hands over my head I swung it down, stopping just centimeters from the tip of his nose. He stared up at me in surprise as I blinked dumbly. He gave me a proud smile and I grinned in response._

Even though I had plenty of bruises littered over my body and I was extremely sore, I was proud of myself. The aches and pains were definitely worth it. Yokuto had said that we would spend a few more days on combat in order to finely tune my attacks and blocks, but we were close to getting into the next stage of my training: unlocking my telepathy. He had said that it would be the same as before, when I drew out my telekinesis. I would need Hiei's help to buffer away my own emotions from taking control over me.

My smile fell as his name crossed through my mind. I could sense his familiar simmering energy somewhere near by. The darker energy was almost non existent. I could barely sense it over his own energy. I really didn't want to have to face him, and I definitely didn't want him in my head while tried to unlock my telepathy that I had sealed away in myself, because of him in the first place. It seemed like such a long time ago that it had happened. I wasn't even fully sure of how long I had been at the temple. The days just seemed to run together.

Was this what Tetsuya was talking about with losing track of time as a demon? Time didn't matter because I wasn't really aging? I didn't have anything to worry about besides getting stronger? I wasn't really sure if I liked this feeling. Sure, it was nice to not be plagued by the thought of time, but it made me wonder what was going on outside of the temple. Normal people were eating dinner right now, then heading off to bed for school or work in the morning. Normal life was going on outside this temple, while I was here learning how to use my powers and worried about a demon with a mood problem not liking me back.

It was almost laughable. I would probably laugh about it in time when it didn't hurt anymore. It was strange. I didn't feel the same way about Hiei that I did Tetsuya. I know that I had realized it before, but I still couldn't figure out what the difference was. What I felt for Hiei was..stronger. A raw emotion that was stronger than my own will. Maybe his own emotions were effecting me and that's why I was feeling something for him. Perhaps I wasn't able to discern others emotions from my own as well as I thought I could.

That didn't make it hurt any less though. Maybe I had just over romanticized the idea of my first kiss. It was just a kiss. Just a stupid meaningless kiss. People kissed each other all the time without it meaning anything. It was foolish of me to think that it meant anything. I gave a quiet laugh. I was beginning to even sound like him, calling myself foolish.

But it wasn't meaningless to me. It meant something that I didn't understand. I wanted him and I wanted him to want me. Perhaps that was foolish and stupid of me, but I didn't care. Something about him made my body feel alive when he was near. I just needed to find a way to prove myself to him, or find a way to get over it. There weren't any other options.

With a sigh, I stepped out of the hot spring and wrapped the towel around myself. I walked over to the shelves and dressed quickly, then headed out of the bathing area and into the hallway. My stomach rumbled at me, reminding me that I hadn't eaten today. I braided my damp hair over my shoulder in it's usual style and headed for my room to find Mi. I found her curled up on my pillow. Her blue eyes slid open as I moved towards her.

"You hungry?" I asked her. She stood and stretched while letting out a large yawn. She stared up at me and gave me a mewl. I picked her up and she crawled onto my shoulders. She nuzzled her face into my still damp hair, and began purring as I headed for the kitchen. As I turned the corner, I came face to face with Tetsuya. He smiled brightly at me and held out a folded up piece of paper and my mp3 player.

"I went a day early to see if he had already responded or not so I could thank you for taking me around Misawa," he said brightly. I returned his grin and took the two items from him.

"Thank you," I said, clutching them to me. He followed me to the dinning area and kitchen. I sat the letter and mp3 player down on the table and headed into the kitchen to find something for Mi and myself to eat. I had stocked up on plenty of canned chicken for her, so after filling her bowl with a can of chicken for her, I settled on just some left overs from the night before. I noticed that the plate that I had saved for Hiei was missing out of the refrigerator. I shook my head, trying to push all thoughts of him away. I didn't want to think about him right now.

I sat at the table, and unfolded the letter.

_Well, I suppose if Yokuto and Hiei trust Tetsuya, I won't worry too much about him being there. I'd say I'd trust your opinion, but you don't have many friends for me to judge on your choice of friends. Unless you count Yusuke, but then that's not working towards your favor right now. He seems pretty excited to fight with you. I'm beginning to feel like I need to step in for your own well being._

_If becoming nocturnal was your life goal, I have failed as your older brother. Not because I crushed those dreams for you, but because they were your dreams to begin with. I must say, I am looking forward to meeting Yokuto. Don't doubt that I will find a way to prevent you from stopping me. You weren't the only one that got Mom's stubbornness. I need to figure out his method of making you actually do something productive. _

_Misawa is beautiful in the spring and fall time. I figured being secluded from the general populace would be something that you enjoyed. You've never been one to enjoy being out and around a crowd of people. Maybe turning into a demon has done you some good. Now instead of just looking like a weirdo, now you are a weirdo, even though I always knew that, and maybe you're trying to subconsciously make up for that. _

_How is your training going? I don't know if I can afford to replace all of the dishes in the house again, so it better be going well. Everyone misses you as well, Keiko definitely the most. She's really worried about you, and Yusuke isn't doing much to help saying that training is probably going to be one of the most difficult things you've ever gone through or done. _

_Shizuru is a nice girl and I do enjoy spending time with her. She understands what it's like to have an annoying kid sibling that likes to pester her. I hope things are going better between you and Hiei. I'll always be here if you want to talk about it._

_I miss you. Come home soon._

I folded the letter back together with a shake of my head. If only he knew about what had actually happened between Hiei and I. But it was going to be a long time before I actually told him, if I ever told him.

"Everything okay?" Tetsuya asked. I looked up at him, to see him with a drawn expression.

"Yeah," I answered. "He just thinks he's funny. I doubt I'm going to live down breaking all of the dishes in the house any time soon," I said smiling.

"That is some feat," he chuckled. "But it was an accident, right?"

"He knows that," I assured him. "And I know that he knows that. It just a big brother's job to make his little sisters life difficult. Just like it's my job to annoy him. If it wasn't like that then the world would be set off balance."

He laughed and nodded at my statement. We spent the rest of the time of my eating talking and laughing. It kept my mind busy and away from the subject of a certain demon, who's energy poked at the back of my mind.

* * *

><p>Three days flew by. I spend most of that time with Yokuto, trying to perfect my bo technique. He talked me through each block and attack, and I tuned my body into meeting each of his attacks head on. I blocked most of his hits, only being hit a handful of times. He was able to block most of my hits as well, but I was also able to hit him a hand full of times, which was a lot more than when I first started.<p>

The ribbon blind fold did a lot to help me. At one point I had tried to fight with Yokuto with out it, to only come to discover that he was right. With out it, I over thought my every move, causing me to hesitate and thus, gaining more bumps and bruises. I quickly learned my lesson and went back to using the blind fold.

When I wasn't with Yokuto training, I was with Tetsuya. He sat with me every time I would sit down to eat to talk to me about things other than training. It was like he knew I needed some normal conversation to keep my mind sane. I soon realized that I was thankful to have him here. He was becoming a good friend. It kind of made me sad that my crush on him was fading. He was an absolute sweetheart, but the more I got to know him, the more he just became a good friend.

In those three days I hadn't seen Hiei once. He kept his distance, his energy and presence only lingering in the back of my mind. It hurt that he was avoiding me, but I wasn't going to go out of my way to try and talk to him. If he wanted to keep his distance, then fine. I was going to let him.

But today was different. Today was the day that I had to try and unlock my telepathy that I had locked away inside of my own head. I stood at the back door of the temple, trying to steady my breathing and ease my nerves. I could sense him outside on the beach. This was the closest I had been to him since that night that I had talked to him and he brushed me off. I tried to tell myself that it wasn't a big deal. He was just going to act as a buffer to my empathy while I was in meditation. But that meant he was going to be right next to me in my meditative state. He was going to be within arms reach in the physical world and standing right next to me in my subconscious.

Was he even going to say anything to me? Was I going to say anything to him? My nervousness built in the pit of my stomach and churned painfully as I slid open the door. I stepped outside and closed the door behind me, and slowly made my way to the beach. I could see him leaning against one of the poles that Yokuto had set up while I was trying to learn to control my telekinesis. He didn't turn to face me as I walked up to him and stopped a few feet away.

I swallowed at the dryness in my mouth, and tied the ribbon that I had clenched tightly in my hands around my eyes and sat down in the sand with my legs crossed. I heard him shift, but I refused to look up at him. I focused my mind on drawing into itself. It was easier to do so now that I had grown accustomed to using my telekinesis. I could use it to push everything out of my mind. I found myself standing in darkness. Hiei slowly began to appear next to me.

My eyes fell on his right arm. The black fiery energy that had engulfed it before was now just a dim light, while his own energy was still burning around him normally. He ignored my questioning stare. I pursed my lips and didn't bother to question him out loud. I doubted that he would answer if I did. So instead I moved forward, the colors erupting into a vibrant dance around us. The violet glow from his Jagan intensified, forming a protective circle around us. When he did that I could feel his emotions again. They washed over me, twice as strong as they were on the outside. I felt his anger and frustration. Beneath those were the tell tale signs of regret and denial. Just beyond that I could feel his want and lust, wrapped with the anger of the dragon. It caused my breathing to hitch. His eyes flashed over to me in a glare.

"Focus," he growled.

I couldn't find it in myself to answer him, so I gave a meek nod. I did my best to turn my attention away from him and listen to the darkness. I could hear in the distance the sound of my telepathy calling out to me. With his emotions still wrapped around me, I started towards it. It was hard for me to focus with his emotions running rampant around me. The anger was the strongest of all, but at the same time it felt fake.  
>Like it was a front to the other things he was feeling. It was if he was trying to drown out the other emotions with his anger, keeping me from searching too far into his feelings.<p>

Even though the want and the lust were the faintest of all, they were still extremely powerful. The longer we spent walking in the direction of where my telepathy was sealed away, the stronger they got, reaching out to me and urging me closer. I could almost hear the dragon even though it's energy was weak. It called out to me, asking me for help, but at the same time whispering promises of things that made my skin flush. It didn't make sense. He had said that the kiss meant nothing, but his emotions told me otherwise. I didn't know what to believe. His words, or his feelings.

I did my best to ignore it, but it kept pushing forth and wrapping itself tighter around me. I wasn't sure how long we had walked through the sea of colors, but eventually we came to a glowing orb of pale blue light. It had been incased in a glass box and the flames of its energy was desperately trying to escape. Thousands of voices whispered to me, muffled by the glass walls. I started to reach my hand out for it, but paused, and turned to look back at Hiei who stood a few feet away from me.

"I don't understand you," I said quietly. His eyes flashed brightly, narrowing into a glare. "You said that the kiss meant nothing and you let me walk away. I thought I was stupid _because_ I believed what you said. Now, I feel stupid _for_ believing what you said. Your emotions don't lie, Hiei." I turned away from him and I could feel his eyes burning into the back of my head. "I just wanted you to know that I know that you lied."

With that, I reached out and touched the glass box. It began to shatter slowly, then split into a thousand glittering pieces. I gripped the orb tightly in my fingers. There was a bright flash of light, and then darkness.

* * *

><p>YEAH DAE-DAE YOU TELL 'EM.<p>

I'm sorry this one is so short. Buuuut this is the last chapter before we move onto the next part of the story with more exciting things. So, please forgive the shortness, and know that more excitement is to come with reappearances of a couple of characters.

So! If there is anything you would like to see more of, or any characters you would like to see more of, let me know! Now is the time to tell me while I spend the rest of the day brainstorming the next chapter!

**dewa95**: We're doing fine! The storms have all passed for now, and the clean up is going quickly. Hiei definitely needs to remove his head from his ass. Hopefully sooner than later. But we'll see:).

**Pixie Faolan**: I know Texas was getting hit pretty hard too! So I hope you and your family are safe and doing well! Tornado season is pretty rough haha.

**Heve-chan**: Awe, don't be mean to poor little Hiei. He's just scared and confused... No. Actually, be as mean as you want to be. He's an ass. He deserves every gash and burn the dragon gives him. The dragon is just doing it's best to help him, and he's ignoring it. So he brought it on himself. I love David and Shizuru together. When I originally came up with David I actually didn't have him paired with anyone. But I was going through and rewatching YYH to kind of brush up on everything before I started writing again and I just paired them up instantly. David is a high strung worrier and Shizuru is more laid back and chilled out. They'll do well to balance each other out. The storms have cleared off mostly. We have a few days of rain coming, but they aren't saying that they'll be sever, so hopefully we'll just have a few weeks of calm weather. But who knows haha. I do what I can for my readers:) I don't like to leave you all hanging.

**Guest**: Although her crush on Tetsuya is fading, he's definitely not down for the count! Who knows, he might make a come back.;) I'm not done with jealous Hiei just yet.

**Ince**: I'm glad you enjoy it! Everyone who reads this story is the whole reason I keep up with it. So I hope you keep enjoying it:)

**Ashley**: Well, I hope Gravity doesn't keep you from anything too important haha. I try and keep a fast update schedule, so you won't have to wait too long between updates. I hope you enjoyed this one!

So, remember! If there's any characters or anything else you want to see more of, now is the time to tell me! We're moving into the next part of the story, so I don't want to leave anyone disappointed. Please leave me a PM or a review and let me know what you would like to see or what you think! I love talking with all of you, so please don't be shy:)


	27. Chapter 27

"A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same" -Elbert Hubbard

Gravity

Chapter Twenty-Seven

The days passed quickly. Soon, the coolness in the air cleared, leaving the days warm and sunny. The sakura trees had long since bloomed and dropped their pink petals, leaving the ground covered like snow. The day I had told Hiei he was lying and I had woken from my meditation to be alone on the beach had come and gone. Now he ignored me completely. But as my psychic abilities grew with each day, the more I could feel his emotions, which only proved how right I was when I told him that I knew he was lying.

The few times that our paths crossed, his energy would reach out and wrap around me, and I could feel him struggle to rein it back in. The energy of his dragon was still subdued. One of the times that I had seen him, I saw the bandages wrapped tightly, with a few thin chains wrapped around the tightly woven bandages, and those chains stuck with pieces of papers that looked like hand written wards. When he noticed me looking he quickly covered his arm and blurred away.

So in order to distract myself, I focused all of my energy on training, honing my bo skills and controlling my abilities. I still wasn't able to fully grasp my telekinesis into moving objects, but I could move small things such as rocks and sticks. My empathy was something I couldn't turn off, but I got so used to feeling everyone's emotions around me I was able to completely tune them out unless it was abnormally strong. And that only happened when Hiei was around. My telepathy came to me surprisingly easy. I was able to learn how to control in just under two weeks, I think. I wasn't sure exactly. Days ran together at the temple.

My friendship with Tetsuya grew each day. Though he was a water demon with shadow demon abilities, he was my sanity through training and dealing with Hiei. He gave me a sense of normalcy with his friendship and our pointless conversations that would leave us in a fit of giggles. There had been a few times that he tried to push passed the boundaries of our friendship, with either words or actions, nothing too drastic, but I turned him away gently. I just couldn't try and pursue a relationship with him. Not when my heart was set on the stubborn ruby eyed demon. There had been multiple times and sleepless nights that I had wished with everything inside of me that I could feel something stronger for Tetsuya. My wishes were never granted.

Mi had grown as I grew with my powers. Before she had been the size of a very small house cat. Now she was matching the size of the bobcats that I saw a few times in the surrounding forest of the temple. She was much harder to carry from place to place, but she was determined to ride on peoples shoulders. I had a feeling that if she got any bigger I was going to have to have a very serious conversation with her as to why she couldn't do that anymore and she wouldn't like it one bit. The dragon tip of her tail had also grown more prominent. It no longer looked like her fur was just in a funny shape. Yokuto told me to take her growth as a sign that I was becoming stronger. He told me that the stronger I became, the bigger she would get.

Seikatsu hadn't made another appearance in any of my dreams, thankfully. But at the same time, it also kind of worried me. It felt like the calm before the storm, per say. I tried not to dwell on it too much. I wasn't going to let him take me by surprise again.

Now I was sitting in the living area of the temple flipping through the channels of the television that Tetsuya had talked Yokuto into getting so he could learn what the "moving picture box" was. It had taken him days to convince Yokuto, but he did eventually give in. For some reason, Yokuto had told me to take the day off from training. He said that I was working myself too hard and that I needed to take a break. I grudgingly did as he asked and was now sitting on the couch with Mi curled up next to my legs and pondering why I had found the television to be interesting in the first place. There wasn't even any horror movies on which was like blasphemy to me. They probably wouldn't scare me like they had before, but it was still the concept of it, dammit. But it was probably also because it was still mid morning.

I let out a grumbled sigh and shifted on the couch to get a little more comfortable when a group of energies appeared on my mental radar. I counted them quickly. Seven. Seven energies. I stood quickly, jostling Mi who mewled loudly in protest and rushed to the front door of the temple. I didn't bother with my shoes as I threw the door open and hurried out to the porch where Yokuto was sitting and smoking his tobacco pipe.

"Who is that?" I asked him, genuinely concerned because of his, well, lack of concern. He smiled up at me.

"They're about to reach the top of the steps," he answered simply, his eyes twinkling in the late morning sun.

My brows knitted together as I looked out over the top of the steps. I picked out one energy easily as they drew closer. Tetsuya. The other six were so familiar that I could almost envision the bodies they belonged to. I heard laughter break through the sounds of the morning, and I felt my jaw drop in disbelief.

"Really?" I breathed. Yokuto's chuckle was the only response I got. My feet started to carry me out over the grass. Just after I had crossed about halfway through the yard, six familiar faces appeared before me. A wide grin broke out over my face.

Yusuke tapped David on the shoulder and nodded towards me. David turned his head from his conversation with Tetsuya. His own blue eyes met mine and a grin broke out over his face. I closed the space between us in a matter of second, throwing my arms around his middle. I threw him off balance, but Kurama, who was standing behind him caught his shoulder and steadied him.

"Jeez, you're like a line backer," David laughed, returning my hug. I hugged him tightly for a few moments longer before breaking away and pulling Keiko into an equally tight hug. She giggled and returned my hug, which Yusuke pulled me out of a second later, wrapping his arm around my head and holding it to his side and digging his knuckles into my scalp. I batted him away with my hands and he gave a firm pat on my shoulder. Kuwabara smiled at me brightly and opened his arms wide for a hug which I gave him with a laugh. He lifted me off the ground and sat me back on my feet, erupting a giggle from me as I steadied myself. The hug I gave Kurama was returned a lot more gentle than our other counterparts. I made a full circle of hugs when I pulled Shizuru into a hug also, completely giddy with excitement that almost everyone was here.

"What are you guys doing here?" I asked, stepping away from the model tall woman.

"Your birthday, of course," Keiko said, smiling at me. "One of the times that David sent you a letter, he also sent a letter to Yokuto asking him if it was okay if we came for the weekend." The grin fell from my face, my expression going blank. I blinked at her statement. I opened my mouth to speak, but closed it again, probably resembling closely to a fish.

"..My..birthday?" I asked, glancing over the group. My birthday wasn't for months. Right?

"Your birthday is tomorrow," David said, chuckling at my expression. "Did you not know?" I blinked at him dumbly. He arched an eyebrow at me. "Really?"

"Days usually seem to run together for demons," Kurama said, coming to my defense. But his amused expression told me that he found it just as funny as Yusuke and Kuwabara did, both of whom were laughing at my expense, but Kurama was too gentlemanly to laugh outright at me. I pursed my lips and tried to hide my blush as I crossed my arms and glared off into the trees.

"Botan, Genkai, and Yukina are going to be joining us this afternoon," Keiko said, attempting to change the subject away from my embarrassment. "Genkai has a few things to take care of before they come. Botan just has to finish a few things for Koenma."

"Did you guys ride the train all night?" I asked, remembering the nine hour train ride that Hiei and I took to get here.

"I brought them here," Tetsuya piped up from the back of the group. He smiled brightly at me. I returned his smile and he beamed even brighter, all but bouncing around the group to stand next to me.

"Let me introduce you to Yokuto and show you around the temple," I said to the group, and turning on my heel to lead them through the yard.

"And then I get to kick your ass, right?" Yusuke said, coming up next to me and throwing his arm over my shoulders, having to bend at his waist to meet me at my eye level.

"And then I get to kick your ass," I responded with a nod. He clicked his tongue to his teeth and gave me a playful shove. I countered his shove with a jab of my shoulder into his ribs, then danced away from his reach as he tried to grab for me.

"Now, now, children," Kuwabara said, standing in between us, feigning authority. I stuck my tongue out at Yusuke who was arguing loudly with Kuwabara. He saw my immature gesture and flipped me a bird.

"Shall we?" Kurama asked, motioning towards the temple, with everyone besides the two now arguing coming to my side. I nodded and lead them towards where Yokuto was now standing, watching us with an amused expression.

"This is David, Shizuru, Keiko, Kurama, Kuwabara and Yusuke," I listed off every ones names gesturing to each of them. They gave their own personal greeting, besides the two imbeciles that were still arguing in the background. "And this is Yokuto." My eyes narrowed between my teacher and older brother. I suddenly remembered that those two were probably going to get pointers off one another to make my life difficult. I realized it was pointless though as David had already pulled him into a conversation with Kurama. I grumbled and laced my arm through Keiko's and motioned my head at the door when Shizuru looked at us. If they were going to be busy talking, I wasn't going to wait to show the girls around. I needed girl time. After being in a house filled with testosterone for who knows how long, I needed some estrogen thrown in the mix.

I lead them inside and away from the noise of Kuwabara and Yusuke. Mi slinked out of the living area and mewled at us.

"She's definitely gotten bigger," Shizuru said, her eyes wandering over the dragon tailed cat.

"Yeah," I agreed and caught Mi as she jumped up into my arms. "And I don't think she knows it yet, either." Mi mewled at me and crawled up to my shoulders. "Well, this is the living room," I said motioning to the door that Mi had just come through. "And that's the kitchen," I continued, leading them further into the temple. We rounded the corner, and I showed them where the armory was, along with the backdoor that lead out to the beach, the meditation garden, and the training room. The next hallway I showed them where the empty rooms were and they chose their rooms, also saving rooms for Genkai, Yukina, and Botan for when they got there. The boys would just have to choose from what was left. "And these are the bathrooms. Just wait 'til you see the bathing area. It's a freaking hot springs," I said grinning.

"DAELYN!" came Yusuke's voice from the front door. "KUWABARA HAS GONE AND PISSED ME OFF. I NEED SOMETHING TO TAKE MY FRUSTRATION OUT ON!"

I rolled my eyes and headed for my room where my bo and ribbon/blind fold was. He had an ass whoopin' with his name written on it that I needed to deliver.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" Keiko asked, her cinnamon eyes glittering with concern. I waved her off with a grin.

"It should be him you're worrying about," I assured her which only caused her to purse her lips. Mi jumped off my shoulders and wrapped herself around Keiko's leg as I carried my bo over my shoulder and led them back to the front yard. The scene that greeted me was rather amusing. Yusuke stood out in the yard with his arms crossed and a pouting face with Kuwabara some feet away looking like he was just coming to, with a lot more bumps and bruises than he had when he got here. The other three men were standing on the porch watching in different stages of amusement. David, being the lease amused and had a concerned expression on his face, Kurama who just smiled one of his all knowing smiles, and Yokuto who was all out grinning as his eyes twinkled.

I stepped off the porch and headed out to the yard to stand just a few feet away from Yusuke. He watched me with narrowed eyes as I tied the blind fold over my eyes and lifted my bo into stance.

"You don't mind do you?" I asked sweetly with a sly grin. "I need all of the help I can get to defeat the great Yusuke Urameshi. Just promise you'll go easy on me, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," Yusuke scoffed, uncrossing his arms and raising his fists. "Whatever. Don't blame me when you get hurt."

I grinned at his statement and looked over his stance. Though his arms were loose, his legs were tight and ready for impact. In the back of my mind I heard Yokuto's words that he had said to me hundreds of times over the many days I had spent at the temple.

"_Fighting with the bo is all about fluidity. Don't stiffen your body. It's nine parts softness and one part hardness. Do not forget."_

"Someone say when!" Yusuke called out to our audience.

"Ready.." Tetsuya called out. "Go!"

Yusuke moved almost too fast for me to see. I knew from stories that he relied on his fists in battle, so I ducked under his fist and swung my bo out, slapping it across his shins and rolled away from any more attacks he sent my way. Once on my feet I spun the bo in first spin as he rushed me once again. When he was close enough, I grabbed one end of the bo and swung it out like a base ball bat, to which he ducked under and sent a series of punches towards my face. I managed to move around all but one, which landed firm against my cheek. It knocked me back, skidding me across the grass on my back. I kicked my feet out, and brought myself back up to stand, ignoring the throbbing in my cheek, then rolled my foot over the bo to kick it back up to my hands.

This time I went after him, jabbing the bo into his stomach. I heard a hiss of pain before he grabbed the end of my bo that jabbed into him and felt him try to yank it from my hands. I grinned at him, to which he gave another yank in response. I used the strength of his grip to jump and balance myself with my hands on my end of the bo and sent a spinning kick to the side of his head. He stumbled to the side, but didn't fall. He twisted around and batted my bo out of it's spin to land another punch to my stomach.

The air left my lungs, but I made sure to grab his arm to keep him from using his right punch once again. I realized that his right arm was his preferred. Before he had time to recover with his left fist, I sent another kick to his ribs then spun away from him with a proud grin. He grumbled something and then broke out into his own grin. I spun my bo around me, creating a circle around myself as he rolled his shoulders back.

He charged me once again, ducking and dodging around my bo as he threw punches around my blocks. I parried each of his punches with the opposite end of my bo that I was trying to hit him with. I searched for an opening in his onslaught so I could shift into offence and get him away from him. Then I saw it. When he threw his right hook, his left side was completely open. So I counted each of his punches, trying to time my attack perfect.

As he threw his right hook, I dodged under it, rushing forward and throwing my shoulder into his left side. He stumbled back, and I swung my bo around to weave through his legs and yanked it back to me, sending him sprawled out on his back. Without stopping, I swung the bo down in a wide arch, then at the last moment, gently tapping him on the neck. A grin started forming on my face, then fell when I noticed his hand just inches from my face held in the shape of a gun.

"I believe," I said, my breathing heavy. "This is a draw." I grinned and stepped back, reaching my hand out to help him up which he took with a laugh. "But I still won. I hit you more."

"Bullshit," he scoffed. Then he gave a firm slap on my back and laughed. I grinned up at him then froze as I felt a familiar burning energy appear at the edge of my mind. I pulled down my blindfold and turned my head to look up at a tree that was a few yards away from us. My gaze fell on Hiei who stared down at us with a narrowed gaze. My grin fell. I saw Yusuke in the corner of my eye as his own grin fell. He followed my gaze to Hiei then back to me. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

"C'mon," he said. "Keiko and David look like their about to worry themselves into early graves." I tore my eyes away from Hiei and nodded and we headed back for the temple. When we got far enough away from Hiei, Yusuke glanced down at me. "You two okay?" he asked.

I simply shrugged, or well tried, due to the arm he had thrown over my shoulders. I didn't really know what to tell him. We hadn't actually spoken in months. But he wasn't angry at me, nor was I really all that angry at him. I was just confused. Yusuke didn't press it any further and we climbed the steps to the porch. David immediately started looking me over.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," I assured him, trying to slap his hands away. "Yokuto hits me harder than Yusuke did. Yusuke hits like a pillow."

"I heard that, you brat," Yusuke grumbled somewhere behind me.

"You were meant to, you ass," I countered with a scoff. My eyes fell on Mi who was spread out in Kuwabara's arms as he gushed over her, and scratched her behind her ears. I shook my head. He was the only one who was large enough to still hold her like that and she was soaking it up. I nudged Keiko with my shoulder. "How about we go make some lunch while everyone gets settled in?" I asked. She nodded with a bright smile. So we snuck away from the group, and I tugged Shizuru along with us. I'm telling you, I needed to be around estrogen. I lead them to the kitchen where I started searching through the cabinets. "We're probably going to have to make a bunch of different things," I said, pulling things out of the cabinets and refrigerator. "We don't have much in the way of bulk."

"That's okay," Keiko said searching through the pots and pans. "We can go to into town later when Botan and Yukina get here. I'm sure Yukina would like to see Misawa."

"How long have all of you been planning on coming here?" I asked her as I started rinsing rice with a strainer in the sink.

"About a month," she answered, setting an array of vegetables next to the sink that needed to be washed. "We had to make sure everyone could get off of work for the weekend. But, everyone made sure to be off for a few extra days," she said smiling over at me. "So we're planning on staying for four days."

"Awesome," I said, a smile stretching across my face. "I'm glad Yokuto let you guys come. Even if I wouldn't have realized it was my birthday."

"Kid, even if he told us no we would have shown up anyway," Shizuru assured me from where she was leaning against one of the counter tops. "You underestimate our little groups stubbornness."

"It would seem so," I laughed. "So, Shizuru. How are you and David doing?" I asked, a sly grin making it's way to my face as I looked over my shoulder. She quirked an eyebrow at me as Keiko giggled.

"I saw them kissing this morning," she said in a sing song voice. My jaw dropped.

"Really?!" I gushed. She crossed the room to bop me on the head.

"No, not really," she said blandly. "Keiko is just delusional and see's things that she wants to." I pouted as she gave a heatless glare to Keiko who giggled again in return.

"We'll see about delusional by the end of this weekend," I grinned up at her and danced away from her still heatless glare when she turned it to me. "I mean, I've always wanted a sister," I added when I was a safe distance away from her. She rolled her eyes at my statement and went back to her position of leaning against the counter.

We spent the rest of the morning cooking and giggling at each other, all while shooing any boys out of the kitchen that tried to wander in to see what we were doing. I had forgotten how much fun it was to be around my best friend, especially when we weren't worrying about what demon was lurking in the corner to steal me away. It was nice to just feel normal again.

* * *

><p>When we sat down to eat, I was immediately surprised that Hiei had joined us. And I felt nervousness build inside of me when I saw the only open spot was in between David and Keiko, and was across from where Hiei had decided to sit. I chewed at the corner of my lip and sat down, making sure to avert my eyes away from him which he made sure to do the same. I saw David look between us with narrowed eyes. No one else noticed in their own conversations, thankfully. I scrambled to find something to distract him from our avoidance of each other. I was dishing some shredded chicken into Mi's bowl to feed her as she sat between Keiko and I. I placed the bowl down and Mi began chewing away happily at the chicken, purring all the while.<p>

"Is she eating?" Yusuke asked, leaning forward to look passed Keiko.

"Yes?" I said slowly, not understanding his question. Then I remembered Tetsuya saying something about it before.

_"That's..strange," he said thoughtfully._

_"..Why?" I asked hesitantly._

_"Spirit beasts don't eat," he explained. "At least, that was my understanding of them. They don't need to. They feed off of your energy."_

"I believe it's because Daelyn's own energy hasn't awoken yet," Yokuto spoke up from next to him. "The energy that her body has is still greatly what Seikatsu gave her. When her own energy starts waking up and getting rid of the foreign energy then Mi will no longer need food to sustain herself."

"Huh," Yusuke said, scratching at the back of his head. "That's strange."

"Daelyn, why don't you tell us of your training," Kurama said from Hiei's side. "I'm curious as to what you've been doing these last few months," he added with a polite smile.

So I gave him a small smile in return and started telling them of all of the training I had gone through. My descriptions of things brought a few chuckles from Yokuto as I told of his training in my own point of view. Tetsuya even piped in every now and then to add in something that I forgot to mention. I told them of how I always seemed to knock the shit out of myself with the bo, and that's why I now had a very, very, faint scar on my bottom lip, and how I had bruises on top of bruises and so many lumps that it seemed like I was just one giant painful lumpy bruise.

"And, how could I forget?" I said laughing. "He made me do a hundred laps in four hours around this entire temple just because I woke up late one morning."

"Yes, but you never woke up late again, did you?" he asked smoothly, with a twinkle in his eye.

"Because you threatened me," I grumbled. "And then I'm still dealing with these things," said holding up one of my wrists to display the metal bracelet that was still enchanted onto me. "These were absolute torture for the first few days."

"Hey, didn't Genkai use those on you, Yusuke?" Kuwabara asked from where he sat next to Tetsuya and Shizuru.

"Yeah, I hate those damn things," Yusuke grumbled.

"These are different," I said, twisting it around my wrist. "They aren't attached to my energy. They're to make me physically stronger," I explained, looking over to Yokuto who nodded at my explanation. "They're six hundred pounds of extra weight." It was strange to think that not too long ago I struggled to even stand with these bracelets. I had gotten so used to them now that I didn't even notice them anymore. It was like they were just ordinary jewelry now. I was actually beginning to wonder when Yokuto was going to take them off, but decided it would be best not to ask. I wouldn't put it passed him to add more weight to them.

"Six hundred pounds?" David asked, arching an eyebrow at me.

"That's what I said," I laughed. "Well. More like screeched. I'm surprised he walked away with his ear drums. But I had a little bit of..." I glanced over at Hiei who was still ignoring me, and resting his chin in his unbandaged hand with his eyes closed. "Motivation. So after the first few days it wasn't too bad."

"What's up with the blindfold?" Shizuru asked before David could say anything.

I grinned and fingered the silk of the ribbon that was still around my neck. I explained to them how it worked with my telekinesis, and how I could see the energy of every living and non-living thing in the darkness, which gave everything shape. Then my mind went in and filled in the colors as best as it could from memory. I told them how it helped me not over think things while I fought, because I couldn't actually see myself.

"..That's some of the coolest shit I've ever heard," Kuwabara said, with a nod of approval. Then his face brightened as he leaned forward. "Can you move stuff with your mind yet?!"

"Kind of," I said shrugging. "Not anything too impressive."

"Show me!" he said excitedly.

I laughed and pulled the blindfold up over my eyes and let the shapes of everything start to take form. It took the shapes a few moments to fully form from their shapeless blobs, but when they did I looked over the table for an empty plate or cup. I found Kurama's cup was the most empty out of everything, and focused on it, gently urging it to lift. It started to shake in protest so I backed off just enough to stop it from shattering all over him and Hiei, which I'm sure Kurama would be forgiving of, but Hiei was another story. When I felt that my mind had a good enough grip on the cup, I lifted my hand up, palm facing up. I started to curl my fingers up, causing the cup to float just a few inches off the table. I urged it a little higher every few moments, making sure that my mind still had a good grip on the cup so it didn't shatter or go flying across the room. After a few minutes, it was floating about a foot above the table.

"That is so cool!" Kuwabara exclaimed, his face bright with excitement. I laughed and nodded in agreement. It was kind of cool.

"Kurama, could you please grab that? I'm afraid I haven't fully figured out how to put something down without breaking it," I admitted sheepishly. He chuckled and plucked the cup out of the grip of my mind. I pulled down the blindfold and rubbed my eyes as the adjusted back to the light.

Somehow I managed to steer the conversation away from myself and towards what everyone else had been doing for the last few months. After we finished eating Keiko, Tetsuya and Kurama helped me clear off the dishes before we all moved into the living room. There wasn't enough seating for everyone, so Kuwabara and Yusuke made themselves comfortable on the floor, where as Hiei had disappeared again. I sat on the floor in front of Keiko because she insisted on doing something with my hair that had grown substantially in the last few months. It had been at my mid back before, but now it was reaching my hips and was constantly in the way if I didn't have it up in some fashion. Kurama and Yokuto took the two lounge chairs, while Shizuru sat next to Keiko on the couch with David next to her. Mi had perched herself across Kurama's lap where he was running his fingers through her fur. The boys were wrapped up in their own conversation as the two girls messed with my hair.

"You need a hair cut," Shizuru noted as she lifted the ends of my hair up to examine them. I pursed my lips as I took note of the split ends of my hair. I had learned earlier that she was a fairly popular hair dresser, soon wanting to open her own shop.

"It used to not grow passed my mid back," I said. "But once I turned into a demon it's starting to grow like crazy." I looked up at her. "I've never cut it before besides my bangs."

"You should let me thin it out," she said running her fingers through it. I looked at her apprehensively. "Relax. I won't take any length off. But you just have so much hair that it's weighing itself down. I'm sure it's really hot, too. So it'll help keep you cool."

"..Okay," I agreed after a few moments. The idea of cutting my hair made me extremely nervous, but I desperately needed it cut. And Shizuru was the only person I would even think about trusting to take a pair of scissors to my head.

Keiko worked on braiding my hair in some sort of intricate style, using bobby pins that materialized in some alarming numbers out of her purse. Just as she had finished and was brushing her fingers through my bangs when three energies appeared outside. Everyone who was spiritually aware, meaning everyone but David and Keiko, perked up at the sudden appearance.

"My love!" Kuwabara exclaimed, charging like a bull out of the room before anyone could react. I blinked and glanced up at Keiko and she just smiled and shook her head. I looked up to see Kuwabara come back into the living room with Botan, Genkai and Yukina trailing behind. Kuwabara was gushing over Yukina, who had a blush across her pretty features. I stood and moved across the room to pull Yukina away from Kuwabara and pulled her into a hug which she returned with a small smile.

I was still taken back by how much her eyes looked like Hiei's. I had figured it out on my own that Hiei was Yukina's long lost brother. But they looked nothing alike, except for the color of their eyes. Her eyes weren't as hard and cold as her brothers. Movement came in the corner of my eye, and both Yukina and I looked up to see Hiei standing in the door way, his hardened stare pointed directly at me. Before I could avert my eyes away from him, Botan popped up behind Yukina, her pink eyes looking me over.

"We are not going shopping with you dressed like that," she said after a moment. My eyebrows drew together at her words, and looked down at what I was wearing. A pair of grey cotton running shorts and a plain black tanktop. I looked back up at her, with my lips pursed in confusion.

"Why?" I asked, genuinely confused.

"Because! It's your birthday tomorrow and you should be dressed up! How are you ever going to meet a nice boy dressed like that?" She asked, and then a strange twinkle sparkled in her eyes, before sliding over to Hiei who was still standing in the door way. "Unless.."

"Let's go find something to wear," I said, taking her by the arm and yanking her away before she could say anything else. As we brushed by Hiei, my arm brushed against his, sending a pleasant burning tingle over my skin. I glanced up at him to see his jaw tighten, but he refused to look at me. I pulled Botan through the door and down the hallway to my room with her giggling behind me. "I really don't have anything else to wear," I said, trying to ignore her giggling as she looked at me.

"Don't change the subject!" she said, smiling brightly, which I had a feeling that it was to my expense. A knock came at my door before Keiko opened the door, bringing with her Yukina and Shizuru. "After that reaction you _have _to tell us what's going on."

Suddenly all eyes were on me. I rolled my eyes and made my way over to the shelf that I kept my clothes folded on. "Okay," I said. "Nothing is going on. Absolutely nothing."

"You're lying~," she all but sang with a cat like face.

"I'd tell you that you're wrong, but I doubt you would believe me," I grumbled pulling the navy dress off the shelf that I had worn the first night I came to the temple. "What about this?" I held it up to her. "It's the only nice thing I have."

"You're changing the subject," Shizuru said, twisting a cigarette in her fingers and a smirk stretched on her face.

"Because there's nothing to say about it," I said exasperatedly. "Can we please stop trying to talk about my non-existent love life that definitely doesn't include Hiei?" A wide grin spread on Botan's face that was a cross between ecstatic and sly. "What?" I asked blandly.

"I never once said Hiei's name," she said slyly. I stared at her with a blank expression, running her earlier words through my head. I pursed my lips and turned away from her, trying to hide the blush that pooled in my cheeks.

"I'm not talking about this anymore!" I said firmly.

"I knew it!" Keiko exclaimed. "There was something going on between the two of you even before you two left!"

"No there wasn't!" I argued back while yanking my shirt off to pull the dress on. I pulled off my shorts underneath the skirt of the dress after I had it on. "And there still isn't anything going on! He's an ass! Why would I be interested in him in the slightest?" I asked spinning on my heels to face them. "He hasn't even talked to me in months!"

"Definitely a lovers spat," Shizuru said nodding once with her arms crossed and the cigarette that she had been twirling in her fingers hanging from her lips.

"Bingo!" Botan exclaimed, looking like she had just had an epiphany.

"That has to be it!" Keiko said, her face firm with her choice.

"Yukina," I begged, looking at the mint haired girl who had been silent in the matter. "Please help me talk some sense into these three."

"Mr. Hiei was very concerned when you were taken," she said quietly with an apologetic smile. "He doesn't normally show emotion like that."

"I can't believe this," I grumbled before walking passed them towards the door. "I can't listen to you crazy people anymore."

"Now, now! There's no reason to get upset!" Botan said chasing after me as I headed down the hall. "Lovers fight all the time!"

* * *

><p>After my embarrassment we rounded everyone up who was going into Misawa with us and headed for the train station. I made a point to not get drawn into any conversation with the girls because Yusuke, Kuwabara, David and Kurama were with us and Hiei was somewhere in the trees and out of sight, but I knew he was close enough to hear everything that we said.<p>

I stuck with Kurama and David, because I knew out of the entire group that they were the sanest and I wouldn't get dragged into any embarrassing conversations. Hopefully. David was kind of unpredictable in that sense, but I didn't think that he would try and embarrass me publically like the girls would.

"So where all do we want to go?" David asked, sitting next to me on the train. Kurama sat in front of me, and Shizuru sat next to him, leaving Keiko, Botan, Yukina, Kuwabara and Yusuke to find seats around us. We were the only ones on the train, so Yusuke twisted around in his seat to listen as the others were sitting on the opposite side of the aisle to us.

"We need groceries," I said, resting my cheek against my fist while my elbow rested on the arm rest.

"You need clothes first!" Botan piped up. "You can't wear those frumpy clothes all weekend! I won't allow it!"

"We have to go to a liquor store!" Yusuke said with a grin. "We can't celebrate her twentieth birthday without some alcohol." I shot him a look causing him to grin wider.

"Well, grocery shopping with have to come last," David said, running his hand through his hair. "Or we could split up into groups and meet back at the station at a certain time." I paled at this suggestion.

"Sounds good!" Yusuke said, clapping his hands together.

It quickly came to a decision that Kurama and David would take care of the grocery shopping, Kuwabara and Yusuke would ransack a liquor store, which was much to Kuwabara's dismay because he wanted to stay with Yukina, and the girls and I were going shopping for clothes with Hiei following us to make sure we didn't run into any trouble. I sunk down in my seat and tried to ignore the all too evil stares from Botan and Keiko. I very quickly realized that this wasn't going to be good.

Once the train came to a stop we got off the train, me a little slower because I was dragging behind to try and prolong my inevitable embarrassment. The group agreed to meet back in two hours, and Botan hooked her arm through mine and dragged me away from the safety of the group.

"You need three outfits!" she said, pulling me passed a different assortment of shops, looking for a clothing store. Keiko, Shizuru and Yukina followed close behind us.

"Why?" I whined. I didn't want to go shopping. I didn't want any new outfits. And I definitely didn't want to be grilled about Hiei anymore, especially when I knew he was close enough to hear everything that was said.

"Because it's your birthday! And we're going to help you make up with your boyfriend!" she said happily, her blue hair bouncing around her as she pulled me along.

"I don't have a boyfriend," I muttered while pushing back my blush. I was quickly realizing that I didn't want to be around anymore estrogen, and would rather be dragged along by testosterone fueled Kuwabara and Yusuke with their antics than deal with anymore of this.

"Sure you do!" she said perkily, then pulled me into the clothing store that I had visited with Tetsuya on our first trip to Misawa.

I gave up arguing with her as she pulled me through the racks of clothes, coming through everything. Keiko and Yukina took another part of the store, while Shizuru kept back, and watched us with an amused expression, though I think it was mostly due to my protest of things that Botan pulled out of the racks. The things that Botan pulled out of the racks and handed to me to carry were things I would _never_ choose for myself. A sea of colors that I didn't know the name for and all dresses of various cuts and lengths. Once she had deemed that she found enough on her own, she lead me over to the room with the dressing areas and pushed me into one.

"I want to see everything!" she called out to me.

I let out a heavy sigh and rubbed my hands across my face, then glanced at myself in the mirror. I paused, leaning forward to look at what Keiko had done with my hair. She had pulled the hair on the top of my head, starting from my deep part on one side and braided it over to the other side, curving it back to twist the length of my hair up and pinned into itself, though some of the tendrils of curls escaped, giving it a piecey look. It was actually very pretty. I made a mental note to ask her to do it again to my hair some time, once I had forgiven her for her and Botan's antics.

Before I had time to pull my dress off to try one of the many that Botan had given me, another pile was thrown over the top of door.

"These too!" Botan called out to me again.

I grumbled and pulled them off the door and added them to the ever growing mountain that I had been given. Each dress I tired on I stepped out to let the three look it over, letting them nit pick every detail of it before they sent me back to try on something else, telling me to either discard it, which I would hand it to them underneath the door, or save it to try on once they had weeded everything out, to which it would get put in a separate pile in the dressing room.

The two hours were soon drawing to an end, but thankfully so was the end of the keep pile. It had been narrowed down to two dresses. One, was a pale mint green, with thin straps and made of lace, and it had a slightly flowy skirt that came almost to my knees. I surprisingly really like that one, and was happy that it had been chosen to be bought. The other one was a peach color that what the mint dress didn't have for flow, it made up for center fold with a wide neck and cap sleeves. I wasn't as much of a fan of that one, but Keiko insisted.

But much to my dismay when I opened the door with the two dresses in hand, Botan took them from me then handed me two pieces and pushed me back in with a cat like grin.

"I thought we were done!" I complained loudly.

"You need three outfits!" she said laughing at my torture. "I only have two dresses in my hands! This is for tomorrow for your actual celebration!"

I grumbled a few curses under my breath at her, then hung up the two pieces while I undressed, once again, to try them on. Before I even had my dress pulled over my head I froze, looking at the pieces that she had given me.

"I'm not wearing this!" I all but screeched.

"Yes you are~!" she giggled. "Just put them on! I want to see how it fits!"

I seriously debated about curling up at the floor of the dressing room and just dying to get out of this. _I did not want to put these on._ I debated with myself as to how to get out of it, anywhere from pleading down on my hands and knees to throwing open the door and running away to the safety of the temple where I would then find an even better hiding spot to get away from her. But I knew neither would work. If I pleaded for my freedom, she would still force me to put them on. If I ran, she would by them anyway and hunt me down. So grudgingly, I yanked my dress on and pulled on the two pieces then threw open the door where I stood disgruntled for them to see.

I watched as all three of their mouths popped open as I crossed my arms and glared at them. A sly grin made its way across Botan's face as her eyes roamed over my ensemble.

"Yes."

* * *

><p>Oh god, Botan. What have you done.<p>

I was going to hold off on posting this chapter until tomorrow, but I'm sure you can now see why I didn't do that. I got a good couple of cackles out of this chapter as I wrote it.

Talk about a time skip, huh? I have it pictured that it's been about three months since Daelyn called Hiei out on his bullshit. And just like usual, both of them run away from their problems and don't deal with it. Sigh. What am I going to do with those two? Oh wait. I know.;) But you'll just have to wait to see~.

Not much Hiei in this chapter, I know. But to make up for it we get to see all of the other characters! So, I hope that makes up for it? Yes? Maybe?

And I'd like to give a big shout out to **Heve-chan** for giving me a few pointers on the bo staff! She did an awesome job at describing different things to me, and gave me a few videos to watch to help me further Daelyn's staff abilities. Thank you so much, girl.

**Heve-chan**: Having an amazing regenerative ability does make things a lot easier haha. At least that's how I imagined it. She's definitely not an expert yet though! She still has a lot of things to learn, even after our three month time skip haha. I can only imagine how painful it is to hit yourself with one of those. It makes me cringe just thinking about it. I kinda feel bad for putting Dae-dae through it, but a story has to progress, you know? I'm glad I could provide you with some reading material haha. "Someone like you" will definitely come in later, so don't worry!:) But there is going to be plenty of someone like me and someone like him/her in the mean time. David was definitely over due for a tone down. I'll touch more on that during this birthday celebration. And I'm curious myself how an argument with the two will play out! We'll just have to see when they get there. You know how those muffins are. I'll definitely try and add in a Hiei/Yusuke moment! It actually makes me kinda sad that more people don't play into that. They have a unique relationship that I'm going to love to write. Feel free to throw any more ideas my way haha. Sometimes I need a kick start on my creative spree's. Tetsuya and Botan..oh goodness. Just wait til next chapter haha. It gives me a head ache just thinking about it.:p

**XBloodMageRikaX**: A girl's gotta fight for something, you know? It's definitely a kick in the ass that she needed. The dragon is definitely making it well known that he doesn't like how Hiei is treating her, so don't worry! Hiei needs people to tell him how it is. Lord knows he's too stubborn to realize shit on his own haha. Not much Dae/Hiei or Dae/Tetsuya interaction this chapter, but there will be plenty next chapter!

**Ashley**: Another quick update for you! I hope you enjoyed this one as much as I did haha.

**Aly Goode**: Sometimes I feel a little convicted about putting him through so much pain with the dragon, but then other times I'm sitting here like "YOU DESERVE IT YOU ASS." You know what I mean? Hiei's emotions besides anger will never come easily, unfortunately. But, lucky for him, Dae-dae is an empath and a pretty powerful one at that. So who know's what could happen?;) Hiei needed to be told straight up that she knew he was lying! I wasn't going to let her get by with not saying anything, especially after how he had been avoiding her even after she cared enough to bandage his arm for him. Daelyn is the kind of person that needs something to work towards in order to fully focus on something, or atleast that's how I'm trying to portray her. I absolutely love her character development, especially in her social skills. All she needed was a few more friends to realize that it was okay to tell others how she was really feeling. Lord knows that Yusuke does enough of that to prove it to her, but when she see's it with everyone else, something just kinda clicked for her, you know? The scene of David and Tetsuya made me smile haha. Tetsuya is just too adorable. Being a nurse is just as difficult as being a doctor! Don't sell yourself short! It's definitely something that I couldn't do, so more power to you. I did choose specifically for David to be a doctor. Just remember, Daelyn is an empath, and David doesn't talk about his feelings when it comes to his job. Shizuru is an awesome character! She definitely needed some love. I hope I gave you a little bit of your fix for Daelyn and Yusuke :) And we have a theory as to why Mi can eat! More Kurama will be in the next chapter, so just a little while longer!

**KK1372**: More Daelyn and the dragon will be coming up soon, so you won't have to wait long! It's definitely going to be a roller coaster ride when the dragon isn't sealed away anymore.

**Guest**: Thank you! We definitely got a healthy dose of Yusuke this chapter and even more is yet to come. And more Kurama is coming also!

Thank you for all the favorites, follows and reviews! Please leave a review or PM me and let me know what you think! I'm especially curious as to what people think Daelyn's birthday celebration is going to be like haha.


	28. Chapter 28

"Let us celebrate the occasion with wine and sweet words." -Plautus

Gravity

Chapter Twenty-Eight

After my loud protests of Botan purchasing the two pieces that my heart was set against, we met the boys at the train station right at the two hour mark. That pretty much meant we had to sprint to make it in time and we were a giggling mess when we made it, even if I was irritated at Botan and Keiko. It was pretty amusing to see the variety of expressions from people as we ran passed, especially because two of them definitely weren't very human looking.

The train back to the temple was as uneventful as it could be with this group. I wasn't exactly sure how Kuwabara and Yusuke could fight about five different things in a twenty minute train ride, but somehow they did. But disregarding their arguments, I was more concerned about the amount of different assortments of alcohol that they had purchased, and it seemed like I was the only one.

If there hadn't been demons in our group, I doubted that we would have been able to carry all of the bags back. David and Kurama had bought enough groceries to feed an army for a week, which I guess our not so little group was kind of like an army, Kuwabara and Yusuke had bought so much alcohol that I could feel the alcohol poisoning that it was going to cause, and of course Botan and Keiko couldn't go into a clothing store without buying something, so the girls had a few bags of their own.

But somehow we made it up the temple steps with a few curses from Yusuke of: "Why the hell do psychics love stairs so fucking much?" to which I could only nod. Those had been my exact thoughts the first time around.

Once we made it to the temple I rounded up Tetsuya to help me put all the groceries away, or well at least try. They had bought so much that a lot of it had to be left on the counter tops because there wasn't any room in the cupboards. I then enlisted the help of Yukina, Keiko and Shizuru to help me cook dinner for everyone. I didn't trust Botan with any sort of knife so when she insisted on helping we gave her the job of rinsing everything in the sink, while Shizuru and I took the job of dicing and chopping everything that needed to be chopped while Yukina and Keiko put everything together.

With our assembly line, we were able to finish dinner quickly even though it was twice as much food than I had ever seen made at this temple, but I knew when it came down to it Kuwabara and Yusuke would make sure there weren't any left overs.

I sat in between David and Kurama when we finally sat down to eat, with Mi sitting in between David and I as she happily chewed away at her chicken. I was thankful that Kurama had unknowingly come to my rescue by preventing Botan or Keiko from sitting next to me because, once again, I was sitting across from Hiei. I didn't want to be at the butt end of their giggles and nudges. I was still mortified by the outfit that Botan had bought me and was going to force me to wear tomorrow so I really didn't want to be the center of anyone else's curious stares.

Hiei was sitting with Yukina to his left. Even though he was pointedly ignoring everyone at the table, he would give quiet and, surprisingly, gentle responses to whatever Yukina would ask him. When they weren't so close together, it was hard to find the similarities between the two besides their unique eye color. But watching them while they interacted so closely, I was able to pick out a few features that mirrored each other. Yukina's face was just a little rounder than Hiei's but if you looked closely enough you could see that they had the same high cheek bones. They had the same curvature in their lips, and the same arches in their noses. It was all subtle enough that if someone didn't know they were related, you wouldn't see the similarities.

I found myself pondering why Hiei didn't just tell Yukina that he was her brother, and I was thankful that it seemed like it wasn't currently in my head because he didn't react to my silent pondering's. I couldn't imagine knowing that I had a brother and knowing he was out there somewhere, but not knowing who he is. Even though David could grate me down to my last nerve and then some, I did love him and would do anything for him. He was all the family that I had. I felt sorry for Yukina. She was searching for her long lost brother and had no idea that he was sitting right next to her. Kurama shifted next to me, leaning over to me and hovering a few inches from my ear.

"If you don't want them to think anything is going on between you two, perhaps you shouldn't stare at him for so long," he whispered, almost completely silent. I doubted that I would have heard him if my ears weren't so sensitive, especially over the ruckus that was the rest of the table.

I pursed my lips and blushed looking down at my plate that I had barely touched because I was too wrapped up in my train of thought. I glanced up at the fox demon as he straightened with a faint, but knowing, smirk. I glanced around the table, my eyes falling on Botan who was watching me through the corner of her eye with a Cheshire cat grin. _Dammit_ I cursed to myself. Then I cursed myself even more because somehow Kurama knew about the shenanigans of the girls trying to say there was something going on between Hiei and I. Did that mean more people knew? God, I was going to kill them.

"We've got a surprise for you," David said, looking over at me. I didn't trust myself to look up because I was afraid the blush was still prominent on my face.

"What?" I said suspiciously, glancing at him through the corners of my eyes.

"You'll see after dinner," he smiled.

"What's the point in telling me that you have a surprise for me then?" I grumbled.

"Because I like to get on your nerves," he stated with a firm nod.

I scoffed and flicked my bangs out of my eyes. I saved his pestering in the back of my mind for later payback that he would receive. As I looked up from my plate when I was sure that my blush had receded back to prevent me from further embarrassment, I found Hiei watching me with narrowed eyes. I blinked in surprise, and by the time my eyes had opened he had gone back to ignoring me. My eyebrows drew together as I blinked again and then just decided it was best to not question it. The varying levels of emotions of everyone in the room dulled out anything Hiei was feeling, so I couldn't try and figure it out anyway.

Dinner passed without any more embarrassing moments on my part. I started clearing the table with the help of Kurama and Yukina while the others, including Mi, spread out. I did happen to see Hiei trying to escape away from everyone, but Yusuke caught him before he could.

"Nope," Yusuke said, clapping his hand down on the other demons shoulders. It was in that moment I had realized that Hiei _had _grown. Before he was only a few inches shorter than Yusuke. Now they were completely at eye level. "You aren't getting out of any of our long over due bonding moments this weekend, no matter what you try and do," he said grinning then leading a very disgruntled Hiei out of the dinning room.

_Bonding moments..?_ I thought, completely confused as I gathered up the rest of the plates. Genkai and Yokuto seemed like they were in a deep conversation at the table as they didn't seem to notice as I walked around them to the kitchen. We finished the dishes quickly and Yukina took me by the arm and lead me out of the kitchen. I started to ask her where we were going when she pulled me into the living room with Kurama close behind.

I paused and puckered my face. The entire living room had been transformed. The coffee table had been pushed into a back corner of the room to make space for the couches and chairs to be pushed closer together and in better view of the television. In the floor there was a mountain of pillows and blankets that looked like they had been haphazardly thrown down. Yusuke was messing with the television, hooking up a DVD player.

"What..what's all this?" I asked after a few long moments.

"Your surprise," Yukina said, gently squeezing my arm and smiling at me.

"It's always been our tradition to have a horror movie marathon the night before your birthday," Keiko said, grinning while approaching me to squeeze me into a hug. "David wanted to keep the tradition alive and everyone else agreed."

I blinked up at her when she pulled away from our hug and then looked around the room at everyone who was finding their seats to settle in. Botan was sitting in one of the lounge seats chatting excitedly with Shizuru who was sitting next to David on the couch with Mi purring away in his lap. David looked up as my eyes fell on him and he smiled brightly, bringing a sudden lump in my throat, which I tried to swallow back, but it stayed firmly in place. Hiei was sitting on the love seat with a hard glare on his face as he pointedly looked away from the group. Kuwabara and Tetsuya were sitting next to Yusuke on the floor, reading instructions to him as to what chord went where.

I felt tears spring into my eyes as I looked back at Keiko and Yukina and up to Kurama who was standing just a little behind me as he stood next to me in the doorway. Before I could say anything, Yusuke's frustration interrupted me

"God dammit!" he exclaimed. "I'm not messing with this anymore! You do it!" he told Kuwabara and pushing himself to stand with a scowl on his face as he kicked the jumbled mess of chords. He stormed over to me and grabbed me by the arm and yanked me out of the room. "C'mon. We're going to go get the popcorn."

"Popcorn?" I asked as he tugged me along. "We just ate.."

"Don't ask questions," he told me simply. "Tradition is tradition."

I narrowed my eyes at him, feeling that he was trying to cover something up with his statement. Especially since his hand was gripped on my wrist, his emotions were stronger to me than the others. He wasn't exactly lying..but he was hiding something. It took us awhile to make enough popcorn and find enough large bowls to fill with the abundance of it all. Yusuke was carried four of them while I carried two.

When I came to the doorway, I felt a new emotion wash over me as Yusuke passed around the popcorn from where he sat in the floor with Keiko on a pallet of blankets and pillows. Somehow another couch appeared in the living room, creating a wide semi circle facing towards the TV Botan had moved to sit next to Shizuru and David on the couch, while Kurama and Tetsuya took the two lounge chairs. Kuwabara had sat next to Yukina on the new couch, his sheer size taking up most of it. I quickly looked over the seating arrangement and quickly realized what my friends had done, and what this new emotion was. It was two separate emotions. Satisfaction, from everyone in the room besides one demon. Anger, which came from that one demon because the only open place for me to sit was next to him on the love seat.

Instead of letting myself show my fluster and frustration at my so called friends attempts to make us sit together, I acted as though it didn't bother me at all and marched around the semi circle to plop down on the couch next to Hiei, putting me between him on my left and David on my right on the other couch. I grit my teeth as I heard Botan trying to cover her giggles with her hand. I forcefully ignored her, and handed David the second bowl of popcorn, his face covered from ear to ear in a grin, which I also chose to ignore. Mi jumped up on the couch, snuggling in between Hiei and I and eyed the popcorn with curious eyes. I could barely focus on anything besides the heat radiating off of Hiei. Being so close to the arm that held his dragon was proving difficult. The weakness of the energy didn't matter due to the fact that we were practically brushing elbows. It was reaching out and wrapping around my arm trying to pull me closer.

I glanced up from the piece of popcorn that I was feeding to Mi to see a pair of coal colored eyes staring at me. Tetsuya definitely didn't look satisfied as to how the seating arrangements had been made. He saw me looking at him and he forced a bright smile, wiping away any trace of his unhappiness. I returned his smile though I'm sure it looked more like a grimace.

"What do we want to watch first?" Yusuke asked, searching though a stack of movies.

"Just pick one," was my answer. He glanced over at me, a slow and equally smug grin making it's way over his face. He plucked one out of the stack and popped it inside the DVD player. Kurama went to turn off the lights, then settled back into his seat.

Hiei's frustration flared next to me, while the pulling from the dragon sent a fire through my skin that dried my mouth instantly. I attempted to focus my attention on the movie, realizing very quickly that this was going to be a long night.

* * *

><p>The chatter in the living room grew quiet as the sound of whatever movie the group had chosen started to play. Yokuto stood from his place at the table and motioned for Genkai to follow. He walked the long way around the temple to not disturb the group and their movie to step out on the back porch. He lit his tobacco pipe, then passed the lighter to his good friend so she could light her cigarette.<p>

"How is the girls training coming along?" Genkai asked sitting to watch out over the sunset over the water.

"Well enough, I suppose," was Yokuto's answer as he leaned against the wooden post that held up the cover for the porch. "She's progressing faster than I originally assumed she would."

They grew silent in their thoughts. It had been a long time since Yokuto had seen his good friend. At least twenty years give or take a few years. He had been surprised to find out that his new student was a good friend of the elder psychics prodigy who now held the Spirit Wave. It never ceased to surprise him how small the human world was to have such coincidences happen so often. There had been many times that the two teachers would send students to one another due to their differences in teaching and ability to help with certain psychic abilities better than the other.

"You're oddly quiet," Genkai said roughly, drawing him out of his thoughts.

"I apologize for being a poor host," he said, releasing the smoke from his lungs.

"Ha!" she scoffed. "I never took you as one to let one of your students take time off with their friends to celebrate something as silly as a birthday," she said, then raising the cigarette to her lips, causing the cherry of it to burn brighter as she inhaled.

"Hm," he hummed quietly. "I suppose I've grown fond of the girl," he answered. "We'll be starting the next phase of her training after everyone returns home," he said quietly.

"You're worried," she observed.

"Very much so," was his response, clenching the pipe between his teeth. "..I truly do not know if she will live through it."

"Have you told her this?" she asked. His words didn't come as a surprise to her. She knew that the girls training was going to be a difficult road from the beginning.

"No," was his quiet answer. He was thankful that Genkai understood and didn't press any further into the subject. He couldn't tell his student the risk of what could happen. If he did, it would plague her, keep her distracted, which would surely be her end. Perhaps he had grown soft in his years of solitude. Should the letter from David had come back in the time that he had over fifteen students at a time coming and going from his temple, he would have never allowed it. It was a distraction from training. But he couldn't bring himself to say no to the simple request. He decided to give his student just a little more time with her friends and family before he moved her further in her training. Just in case something went wrong.

* * *

><p>We watched the screen intently as the last two survivors ran into a room in an abandoned house, trying to hide from the killer that was hunting them. They raced to barricade the door with the rotting furniture to keep him from getting inside. In their panic they were creating more noise than they should have been, undoubtedly alerting the killer to their location. With no where left to go, they sat against the wall opposite to the door and held each other, completely filthy and dirty, their hands shaking in their fear.<p>

Just as their breathing started to slow, heavy foot steps thudded up the stairs in a slow methodical pace. The steps drew closer, growing louder until they came to a stop outside of the door.

"AHH!" Yusuke screamed, then cackling as mostly everyone in the room jumped and/or screamed. I had startled, spilling what was left of the popcorn in the bowl into the floor.

"URAMESHI!" Kuwabara exclaimed, throwing a pillow at him at the same time Keiko smacked him. I reached my foot out from under my blanket and kicked him in the shoulder, which brought a disgruntled mew from Mi because I had disturbed her.

"You are such a dick," I hissed at him, causing him to cackle again.

"You guys are too easy to scare," he said wiping the tears of mirth from his eyes. I heard Kurama chuckle across the room while Hiei scoffed next to me.

Botan grumbled something at him while Keiko smacked him again. I rolled my eyes and settled back into my seat, careful to not brush against Hiei. I had shifted in my seat to lean against the arm rest, and brining my knees up to tuck my feet next to me, trying to put some space in between the two of us. Even though the heat radiated off of him and wrapped around me, I had gotten a blanket and pulled it tight around me trying to give another protective layer from him, with Mi still curled up between us acting as a weak buffer. He was sitting there with his legs crossed and his arms crossed over his chest, where he kept his right arm tucked to himself. I had somehow managed to build a barrier against his raging emotions of frustration and lust and had been able to focus on the movie. But now thanks to a certain dumbass that barrier was gone and I was completely aware of how close Hiei and I were on this stupid small couch.

We were on our fourth movie of the night, making it well passed midnight now. David's impeccable inner clock had leaned over right at midnight and whispered to me "Happy Birthday". I just smiled at him in thanks as to not disturb everyone. But now we had one more movie to finish after this one and we were a determined bunch. I had a feeling just by glancing up that David wasn't going to make it much longer. His eyelids were starting to get heavy and I could see in the corner of my eyes that he had started to do the head bob. I was getting pretty exhausted myself. This was the latest I had stayed up the entire time I was at Yokuto's temple. But the fact that I wasn't able to fully relax because of a certain demon was keeping me from falling asleep.

We watched the final thirty minutes of the movie without incident from any dumbass's. Yusuke popped that one out of the DVD player and put in the final movie then sitting back with a grin on his face.

"Don't even think about it," Shizuru said darkly, her eyes narrowed at the back of his head. She didn't need to threaten him any further because the grin faded on his face as he pouted. I rolled my eyes and turned my attention back to the movie. My eyelids started to grow heavy, about a fourth of the way though before they came to heavy to fight.

* * *

><p>Yokuto quietly made his way though the temple, knowing that the temple was full of light sleeping demons. It was still early in the morning, the sun just starting to rise over the horizon. He had allowed himself to sleep just a little longer than he normally did, knowing that Daelyn wasn't going to be getting up for training. He was making his way to the kitchen, when he came to stop at the doorway to the living room before a smile came over his face. Apparently none had made it to their own rooms last night, each stretched out or curled up in the places that they had chosen to have their "movie night". The only one absent was Hiei, who Yokuto could sense was somewhere outside. He quietly slid the door shut and went to fix his morning tea.<p>

* * *

><p>My mind started to rise from sleep as someone gently shook me awake. I slid my eyes open to see a pair of blue eyes level with me. David smiled at me and held his finger up to his lips to signal me to be quiet. I sat up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. When the bleariness had cleared I paused, noting that I wasn't in my room. Everyone had fallen asleep in the living room. Tetsuya was stretched out in his seat, leaning his head on the back, his mouth just barely falling open. Kurama, who was in the other lounge chair looked like he had fallen asleep with his cheek resting on his hand, because his face had slipped down, to rest on his arm with his legs crossed in front of him. On the magically appearing couch, Yukina had fallen asleep with her head resting on Kuwabara's shoulder, and he was all but slumped over the arm rest of the couch. On the other couch Botan had curled up much like I had last night and fallen asleep like so. Shizuru had her head resting on the arm rest that David had been sitting next to last night, and her legs pulled up and curling in the space between her and Botan. Finally, Yusuke and Keiko slept on the floor, tangled in each other and completely dead to the world.<p>

David motioned for me to follow him. I nodded and stood, careful to not disturb Yusuke or Mi who had been curled in the curve of my knees as I did so. We tiptoed out of the room, surprisingly not waking anyone. After carefully sliding the door back into it's closed position, David turned to smile at me.

"Come on," he said. I followed after him, while pulling my falling hair out of the now falling up do that Keiko had done. I laid the bobby pins down on a shelf that we walked by. David lead me out the back door and into the early morning air. It was passed sunrise, but because the beach was facing west it wasn't too bright yet.

I picked up my pace for a few seconds to come to his side as we walked down to the beach. When we reached the shoreline, we stood in silence for a moment, talking in the scenery around us. The moon had yet to fully set. The sun rising on the other side of the temple gave everything a semi-golden glow. There was just enough of a breeze coming over the ocean to give some small waves out in the distance that gently broke against the shore. Birds were singing in the morning coolness around us.

"They would be proud of you, you know," David said quietly, putting his arm over my shoulders and pulling me into his side.

"You think so?" I asked, turning to wrap my arms around his middle.

"I know so," he answered. "Dad would have gotten a kick out of you having super powers. I could only imagine how many different things he would find for you to make float."

"Mom would have had a fit," I added, with a smile. "Then she would have made sure to keep a list of everyone with every ones different powers to keep track of who's who."

"Definitely," he laughed. "But at the end of the day they would be proud of you for being so strong through all of this. Dad would only puff up with pride and say 'Of course she's strong! I didn't raise no weaklings!' then Mom would say 'I always knew you were special. This only proves it!'."

"I miss them," I said, letting my smile fall as we looked out over the breaking waves.

"Me too," he said, his voice quiet enough to tangle in the breeze and get blown away.

We stood like that for a while longer, watching as the morning continued to rise in the sky to dry the dew that stuck to the grass and wake the world from it's slumber. The sun had fully risen over the temple when Yukina called out to us that breakfast was ready and we walked back with his arm slung over my shoulders.

* * *

><p>After we ate breakfast where everyone was still too sleepy to cause too much chaos, Shizuru decided that it was time to cut my hair before I showed the girls the hot spring area. So she pulled me outside where I could sit on the porch and she could stand on the grass and be able to work. At some point yesterday, she had managed to buy a pair of hair shears. She carried the trash can from the kitchen outside with us. I felt dread build inside me as she started wetting my hair with her fingers from the water in a cup next to me, because we didn't have a spray bottle.<p>

"Don't get nervous," she said, using a comb to pull through any tangles. "I promise I won't chop it off."

I didn't say anything as she used her comb to pull a lock of hair towards her. I squeezed my eyes shut as she worked, bending my head forward or turning when she told me to. I could feel her run the shears through my hair. The longer she worked, the more the nervousness eased because I could feel the areas that she dropped to pick up another was the same length as it had been before. I had spun in an entire circle, before she trimmed my bangs to where they wouldn't hang in my face anymore.

"Done," she said, mussing it with her fingers. I opened my eyes and she gave me a nod with a smile. "Much better. You'll be able to see it better when it's dry."

I ran my fingers through it, smiling at the softness of it now that the dead ends had been cut out. It was still thick, but I could notice that it was thinner before.

"Thank you," I beamed up at her.

"You're welcome," she said smoothly. "Consider it your birthday present."

I helped her clean up the black mess of my cut hair and after rounding up the girls and grabbing a change of clothes I lead them to the hot spring. Botan was full of ohh's and ahh's as she looked around. We showered quickly in the separated showering areas, their excitement rubbing off on me as they were eager to relax for a while in the spring.

"This is _glorious,_" Botan gushed as we sat around the edge of the spring.

"I can't you how many hours I spent in here soaking after training," I said smiling.

"Oh, I could only imagine," Botan said with a sly smile. "After all, Hiei does like to spend his time in some pretty tall trees," she said smoothly, her eyes flickering up to the branches above us.

"Botan!" Yukina almost sputtered in surprised horror. "Mr. Hiei wouldn't do something like that!"

"Thank you, Yukina!" I exclaimed, my jaw still dropped from Botan's words. "How could you even think something like that! You're worse than Yusuke!" Shizuru chuckled next to me, though Keiko full out laughed at my embarrassment. "And don't say stuff like that so loud! He'll hear you!"

She giggled, completely amused by my reaction. "Don't worry, sweetie. We'll help you get him back tonight!" she said brightly.

"Oh my god," I grumbled, rubbing my hands over my face. "I can't believe you all. There's nothing, nor was there, anything going on between us."

"You know, you sound a lot like how Yusuke used to be when we were younger," Keiko said, her tone feigning a thoughtful tone as she tapped her finger to her chin.

"She does!" Botan agreed, much too quickly for my liking. I grumbled and didn't bother defending myself. It was useless. Anything I said would just incriminate me further. I should have been up front and honest with them about the whole ordeal about me kissing Hiei. But I just couldn't bring myself to admit it out loud. It still hurt that he was denying his feelings and completely ignoring me. Saying it out loud would be like the final nail in the coffin that I had royally fucked everything up and that was likely to never change.

We spent a little while longer in the springs before climbing out and dressing. Botan was insistent that we spent the rest of the day getting ready for such a "joyous occasion". When I told her that drinking until we drowned, which no doubt that's what Yusuke had in mind, wasn't a joyous occasion, she told me it wasn't for my birthday. Instead, she said: "It's a joyous occasion because we're getting you your man back!" Her words. Not mine.

I didn't really understand at first why we needed to spend half the day getting ready, but Yukina let it slip to me that the boys were setting things up for my party. She wouldn't say anything more than that, saying it was supposed to be a surprised. So I was forced to sit through Shizuru styling my hair with an assortment of heat tools that I didn't know the name of and an ungodly amount of bobby pins. Seriously, where were they finding all of these? I had no idea.

"So, Shizuru," I said, as she tilted my head forward. "How are you and David doing? Really?" I made sure to ask quietly to not alert Botan to our conversation as she gushed over something with Keiko and Yukina. I was sitting in the chair at my desk, with Mi sitting on the desk in front of us watching Shizuru intently. I reached out to run my fingers through her fur, drawing a loud purr from her.

She took her time answering. Part of me wanted to take a peek at her thoughts, but I decided it was probably better that I didn't. I didn't like using my telepathy to pick at peoples brains. I didn't even really like to use it to communicate. It just felt like an invasion of privacy. Everyone's minds should be their sanctuary. Part of that came from the fact that Hiei always seemed to be in my head if I was thinking something embarrassing.

"I do really like your brother," she answered finally. "But we're taking things slow. We've both got a lot of baggage."

"Understandable," I said, happy that she told me the truth. "So was Keiko really delusional when she said that she saw you two kissing?" I honestly really wanted to know. Not to pester David with it or to have something over Shizuru if she pestered me about Hiei. I just wanted to know if they were happy together.

"Sort of," she answered. "We almost did. Keiko interrupted."

"Oh," I said, blinking. "Would that have been the first..?" I trailed off.

"Yep," she said simply. I didn't press any further. Shizuru wasn't a person of many words. Instead, I twisted around the idea of telling Shizuru what had happened between Hiei and I. She told me the truth about David. I should be honest with her about Hiei. It almost felt wrong though. Was I really going to tell her what happened instead of Keiko who was my best friend? Maybe once I told Shizuru I could find some time alone with Keiko to tell her if I could get her away from Botan's side.

"I kissed Hiei," I said finally, making sure to keep my voice down. I felt her pause in what she was doing with my hair and then continuing. I could feel Yukina's interest perk and I silently cursed. Of course she could hear us talking. She was a demon. Her hearing was as good as any other demon. "Please, don't say anything," I said. "I don't want anyone to know." I heard Yukina draw back into her conversation with Keiko and Botan, but I knew she was still listening.

"I won't," Shizuru said honestly. I let out a heavy sigh as my fingers twisted further into Mi's fur.

"He kissed me back," I continued after a moment. "When I asked him what it meant he told me that it meant nothing at all." I chewed the corner of my lip, trying to find my words. "A few days later he had to help me while I was trying to unseal my telepathy, which that's a whole other story, but because he was in my head I could feel his emotions a lot stronger than usual. I know he was lying. And I told him that. He hasn't talked to me since, and it's been months now. I don't...understand what I feel for him. It's definitely not a crush. Its more of...I don't even know how to explain it."

"What an ass," she scoffed, pinning a piece of my hair up to my scalp.

"That's what I said earlier, but no one believed me," I said, letting Mi crawl into my lap where she kneaded into my legs.

"Don't worry," she said. "When we get done with you, he won't be able to keep his hands off of you."

I pursed my lips. I doubted that Hiei would be tempted into anything based off of looks alone, especially me. Out of all the girls of our group, I was definitely the most homely looking. Keiko with her cinnamon eyes and long, thick, straight brunette hair. She was almost an entire head taller than me and somehow always managed to look flawless with her makeup and clothes. Yukina was the epitome of female demure and beauty. She was just a little taller than me, and her features were the definition of dainty. Botan was nothing but curves, definitely being the most gifted in our group in that area with a pretty face to match it, and she knew exactly how to dress for it. Shizuru was like a model, long legs, perfectly symmetrical face. I was pretty damn certain that if she attempted modeling she would be a successful one.

It never ceased to amaze me how long it took some girls to get ready. It really had taken the rest of the day to get ready between Botan and Keiko doing their hair and makeup, then turning to focus on my make up. It took them a little longer to do my makeup because for one, they were dead set on making it look "perfect", and for second, I never, ever, wore makeup. So when they would put something on my eye my eyes would immediately start to water, smearing what they had done. I had no idea what the names for the things were that they were putting on my face. I knew the basics of eyeshadow and mascara, but when they started using a funny shaped brush to put this pale brown powder on my cheeks I was completely lost. I was such a failure as a girl.

Now I was eyeing the two pieces that Botan had bought for me with my mind screaming at me to just run and hide.

"Botan, this is so dumb," I whined. "Why do I have to get so dressed up? It's just our group. I'm going to look stupid."

"All of us are dressed up, silly!" she chirped. "Even the boys! I told them that they had to bring something nice to wear!"

"That's comforting," I grumbled.

"Now get dressed before I dress you myself!" she said. She didn't have to tell me twice. That was a threat that I knew she would go through with.

"Turn around," I said with a heavy sigh. "I'll tell you when to look." To be honest, I just didn't want them to see me struggling with the stupid thing. When they had finally turned around, Botan with her giggling, I started to undress to grudgingly put on the two new articles of clothing. First came the shirt. It was kind of like two shirts in one. The inside layer was a plain black, thin strapped tank top, but the outside of it was what made it stand out. It was a layer of sheer red fabric that billowed out around it. The front of it had buttons that opened up to about halfway down the shirt, but the buttons only reached to about mid chest at the top, leaving the top wide open. I started to pull on the skirt, struggling with the tightness of it. I had many of times had Keiko attempt to make me buy one of these. It was a black bandage skirt that didn't even reach mid thigh. I tucked the shirt into the waist of the skirt, and gently pulled at the bottom of it to let the fabric billow like it was supposed to. "Okay," I grumbled.

They turned around and Botan, quite literally, squealed. Shizuru clapped her on the shoulder with a smirk. Keiko rushed up to me to further look me over, straightening the skirt a little and pulling just a little bit more of the shirt out before stepping back, and nodding proudly.

"You look very pretty," Yukina said quietly, coming to stand next to me.

"Thanks," I sighed. I brushed a piece of falling hair out of my face. I knew Shizuru had done some sort of braided hair style, where she french braided it from one side, around the back of my head and pinning the rest of my hair up into a messy bun. I didn't even want to bother looking at the makeup they had put on me.

"Come on!" Botan said, bouncing over to me, and pulling me towards the door. I looked back to see Mi sleeping soundly on my pillow. _Traitor_ I thought at her. One of her eyes slid open to regard me with a bored stare before sliding back shut.

"This is ridiculous," I grumbled as she tugged me along.

"Don't be stubborn," Keiko said, coming up behind me and resting her hands on my shoulders to push me along. "You look pretty!"

I turned my head to respond to her, but caught my reflection as we passed by a mirror in the hallway. My jaw dropped. I didn't even recognize myself. Botan had darkened around my eyelashes, making my eyes stand out even more from my pale skin and black hair. The brown powder that she had used had made my cheek bones stand out even more than just with the pale colored blush. She had done something with my eyebrows that filled in their thinness, and put a pale lipstick on me. I felt my eyes nearly pop out of my head when I saw it. I had never worn so much makeup in my life, even on stage for recitals. But I guess it did make me look..pretty. But I still didn't want to face everyone like this.

"Dude, what happened to your face?" Yusuke asked as we walked passed him in the hallway.

"Don't say that!" Keiko said, smacking him in the back of the head.

"Hey! I was just coming to get you guys to tell you that we're ready!" he exclaimed, rubbing the back of his head with a pout.

"It was against my will," I grumbled, pulling my arm out of Botan's vice like grip. "All of this is against my will."

"Oh, don't be like that!" Botan whined. I ignored her and tried to slink away but she grabbed me once again. "No! We need to go show you off to everyone!"

"I'm not some kind of animal!" I said loudly, but she acted as if I didn't say anything. I glared at the back of her head, trying to yank my arm away from her as she pulled me along.

"It's best to just let her do what she wants, kid," Shizuru said somewhere behind me.

"Do you think Mr. Hiei will be joining us tonight?" Yukina asked. _Please don't let him be there, _I thought. But my hopes were quickly diminished with Keiko's response.

"Of course he will," she said brightly. "We already asked Kurama to make sure he would be." I knew what she was actually saying. Hiei was going to be there because both Yukina and Kuwabara would be there and the alcohol was going to be flowing. _Dammit, _I cursed silently. _Dammit, dammit, dammit._

Botan led me, the girls, and Yusuke outside into the back of the temple, well, more like forcefully pulled me outside because I was digging my feet into the ground and they followed after. I looked passed her and I felt my jaw drop. All of the guys and Genkai were on the beach, standing around Kurama and Kuwabara as they placed a pile of wood over a hole dug in the sand with rocks stacked around it. Around the fire pit were fallen logs that were smooth enough to be used for seating. There was a table of an assortment of foods a few feet away from the fire pit, and another table next to it that was piled high with liquor of different kinds. I saw two ice chests underneath that table that I would have betted my life on held more beer than I could count. Around the fire pit and tables were poles that were twice as tall as me, with string that held Chinese paper lanterns that were glowing dimly in the setting sun.

"We're here~!" Botan sang, then pushed me forward. "Look how pretty the birthday girl is!" she said, pushing me in front of her.

All eyes were on me. The blush that Botan had used was completely useless now due to the blood that rushed heat into my face. I immediately felt self conscious and wanted to just run back into the temple and hide.

"Woah, you look completely different!" Kuwabara exclaimed.

"That's what I said, and Keiko hit me!" Yusuke complained behind me. I heard another loud smack and grimaced at his shout of pain. I crossed my arms over my chest and stared pointedly at my feet.

"Come on," Shizuru said, putting her hand on my shoulders. "Let's go have your first legal drink. I promise after your first few you won't care anymore." She led me over to the table with the liquor where David met us.

"Who are you and what have you done with my sister?" he asked his eyes narrowing in joking suspicion.

"You're so funny," I dead-panned.

"Lighten up," he laughed. "You look very pretty. Don't be so embarrassed."

"I think we need to help her out with that," Shizuru said, peering over the bottles before picking one up. She plucked up one of the glass shot glasses at the end of the table and poured the amber liquid into the glass. I saw David's eyebrows knit together as he read the bottle.

"You think that's a good idea?" he asked.

"If she can drink this she can drink anything," Shizuru said.

"Hey, I want to get in on this!" Yusuke said appearing behind me. "Anyone who wants to join in on Daelyn's first legal drink, get over here!" he yelled over his shoulder. I jabbed him in the stomach with my elbow and he shoved me back. Kuwabara, Keiko, Tetsuya and, surprisingly, Genkai joined us at the table. Shizuru poured shots for everyone and handed them out.

I eyed the amber liquid with a crinkled nose. "Is this going to taste as bad as it smells?" I asked.

"Yep," Yusuke said, his lips popping as he smiled. He held his cup out in the center of our circle and everyone did the same. With a sigh, I did the same and looked up. In between Yusuke and Tetsuya, my eyes fell on a figure that I hadn't noticed before. Sitting on one of the logs was Hiei who was listening to something Kurama was saying. He must have felt my gaze because he looked up, and we locked eyes. I saw the black fire cross over his eyes and I quickly looked away, and gritted my teeth. The idea of getting drunk seemed a lot more appealing to me now. We clinked our glasses together and I raised the glass to my lips and mirrored everyone else as they tilted their head back and emptied their glasses quickly.

* * *

><p>Hiei watched the girl as she started retching at the liquor she had just drank. He inwardly rolled his eyes at their antics as the group around her started laughing as she exclaimed something about it being terrible.<p>

"She does look nice tonight, doesn't she?" Kurama asked. Hiei scoffed, tearing his eyes away from the girl. "Your dragon is warded again," the fox continued, tucking his hands in his pockets.

"What are you getting at, fox," Hiei snapped.

"Just taking notice," he said smoothly, he said, watching as the group laughed at the girls dismay. "Curious, mostly."

"It's none of your business," he scoffed. Emerald eyes slid over to him with a small and knowing smile.

* * *

><p>As the sun set over the horizon and the moon rose higher and higher in the sky, the less I felt the cold. My hand was never empty of some type of alcoholic drink, and I had been pulled in to taking shots with pretty much everyone who was in attendance to the party. I had come to find out who were the drinkers of our group, and who wasn't. David was among the ones that were. He held his own against Yusuke, who had challenged him to a chugging contest. I knew that David had been to quite a number of parties in college before the accident, and apparently still had his tolerance. I also learned that Keiko was not a drinker. Her face was bright red, as she leaned against me, giggling at her husbands antics as I cheered David on. I knew he probably wasn't going to win against a demon, but it was the least I could do.<p>

Tetsuya was standing to the other side of me, his cheeks a little pink, as he bounced on the balls of his feet. To support my own weight along with Keiko's I had to keep a grip on his arm as Keiko's giggles became infectious to me. He grinned down at me. David gave up in the contest, ceding with a laughter that I hadn't heard from him in a long time. Keiko went to congratulate her husband, leaving Tetsuya and I alone.

"You look very pretty tonight," Tetsuya said.

"Thanks," I laughed, pushing my falling hair out of my eyes. He reached up to brush the falling locks behind my ear, trailing his fingers across my cheek. I stared up at him in surprise as he gave me a soft smile.

"Daelyn!" Yusuke yelled, drawing my attention away from him. "Beer pong! Now!"

"Gotta go," I said, hurrying away from him, attempting to not sway too much, to where Yusuke was setting up red plastic cups on the table that we had used for food, of which had disappeared a long time ago.

"Kurama! Kuwabara! Get over here!" he yelled over his shoulder as he placed the last of the cups. Kurama stood from his position next to the bond fire with Hiei and made his way over to us, and Kuwabara broke away from Yukina with a pout.

"Just 'cause it's your birthday, you get the fox on your team," Yusuke said, pouring the contents of a beer can into the cups.

"I'm glad you think so highly of me, Yusuke," Kurama said, with a smile.

"What's that supposed to mean," Kuwabara grumbled. "I'm awesome at this!"

The table was filled with, I counted quickly, thirty cups. Fifteen on each end in the shape of a pyramid. Yusuke finished filling up the cups and was breaking open a pack of ping pong balls.

"What are we doing?" I asked Kurama. My tongue felt thick and numb in my mouth. I felt myself sway, and he caught me with a chuckle.

"You have to toss the ball and make it into the other teams cups," he explained once I was steady on my feet. "If you make it into a cup, the other team has to drink what's in the cup."

"Oh," I said. "I knew that," I giggled and he just smiled in return.

"You go first!" Yusuke commanded handing Kurama and I a ball and then going to his end of the table.

"If the ball goes into the cup and spins around the rim, you can try to get it out before it falls in," Kurama explained, spinning the ball in his fingers. He smiled down at me. "We'll win."

So the game commenced. I missed my first shot by quite a ways, and giggled at my failure as Kuwabara picked it up from the sand with a grin. Kurama tossed his after carefully aiming, and the ball bounced against the table then plopped into the front most cup. Yusuke picked it up and drank it quickly, setting it off to the side.

As the game went on the others started to gather around us. David, Tetsuya, Yokuto and Botan stood on Kurama and I's side, cheering us on. Keiko, Shizuru, Yukina, and Genkai stood Yusuke and Kuwabara's cheering them on, with threats from Shizuru that Kuwabara had better not dishonor their family name by losing.

I could feel a burning energy somewhere behind me, but the alcohol flowing through my veins kept me from worrying too much about it. Hiei's energy had been haywire all night. Each time I had caught eyes with him, the black fire would flicker in the corners of his eyes and send a wave of a different kind of warmth through me. But I would be quickly pulled away by someone before I was drawn too far in.

The amount of cups grew smaller as we played. Kurama and I stayed in the lead for most of the game before Yusuke and Kuwabara had both gotten their shots in one turn, which put us at an even game. We were down to one cup on each side. I felt the mood shift between the four of us, suddenly becoming a lot more competitive than it had already been. It was Kuwabara and Yusuke's turn. I had never taken Kurama for the competitive type, but I saw something in his eyes shift as he watched the two across from us take aim at our lone cup.

They both tossed their ping pong balls at the same time. Yusuke's bounced and soared over the cup. Kuwabara's however, bounced and was headed in dead aim at the opening of it. It knocked against the side and started spinning. Before I could blink Kurama's hand shot out and flicked it out of the cup.

"Yeah!" I cheered, along with the others on our side while Kuwabara and Yusuke and their cheerleaders groaned or protested. Kurama chuckled as we both took aim at the cup on the other side of the table. We also tossed at the same time, but I threw mine with an arch, while Kurama bounced his. They both landed in the cup at the same time.

Cheers broke out over our team as I threw my arms around Kurama's middle with a fit of giggles. He laughed and gave me a hug back.

"Rematch!" Yusuke demanded.

I pulled away from Kurama and swayed, barely catching myself on the table.

"Go sit down," David said, putting his hand on my shoulder. "I'll take your place, okay?" I nodded with a wide grin broke away from the crowd and headed towards the bondfire where the logs were. I plopped down on the log. The world spun around me for a moment before settling back down when I had stopped moving.

I felt a sudden heat come over me. I blinked and looked up from where I had buried my toes in the sand. The flames of the bond fire were nothing compared to the heat that washed over me. My eyes lifted higher, and I felt my body stiffen when I met the ruby gaze of Hiei over the heat of the flames. The shadows that the fire caused on his face made his eyes burn like embers. I felt my mouth dry out as the black flames crossed over his ruby gaze, looking a lot like smoke in the glow of the fire.

"Hiei," I said quietly.

He blinked and grit his teeth, the black fire disappearing. He looked away from me and stood, then blurred away from the beach. I could sense his energy somewhere in the forest and I stood from the log. I don't know what caused me to do it, but I followed after him. I knew that the others were too engrossed in their game to pay attention to us. I stumbled into the forest, the darkness causing my telekinesis to take over. In my intoxicated state, the edges of everything twisted and swirled around me. I tripped a lot more than usual because of it.

My body swayed as I tried to follow his energy. The swirling scene around me made it worse. It felt like I was walking leaned and off balance to one side which caused me to try and lean the other way, throwing me even further off balance.

"Go back before you get lost, woman," Hiei snapped, appearing in front of me after I had scratched my leg across a downed branch.

I swallowed, trying to form the words in my head. "I can't see," I said, my words beginning to slur together. I rubbed my face. "Fuck," I cursed.

I heard him scoff and approach me. He lifted me into his arms, and then we were flying. I clutched at his shirt tightly and forced my eyes to stay open. If I closed them, I would become nauseous. The next thing I knew, he was setting me on my feet in my room. I blinked, and looked around, noting that Mi was nowhere to be found.

"Wait," I tried to call out to him as he was making his way back to my window where we had come in. It came out a lot quieter than I had wanted, but it had caused him to pause. His eyes flashed as he looked at me over his shoulder. "Why?" I asked him.

"Why what, woman?" he growled.

I rubbed my face again, my head spinning from a mixture of his voice and the alcohol. "I can feel your feelings," I said, my words slurring. "I don't understand why you're denying them. I just want to know why."

"What are my feelings?" he said, his voice even but I could sense the building heat from him.

I wet my lips and blinked hard to keep the world from spinning. "Guilt. Anger. Frustration," I paused. "Lust."

"You're drunk," he scoffed. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"I haven't been drunk for the last three months," I said, trying to keep the words from slurring together. "Your lust has been most prominent, even before I kissed you." I watched as he slid the window shut, then slowly turned to face me, his eyes set in a harsh glare as his teeth grinded together. Warmth washed over me as he stood to his full height. "Why are you denying it?" I asked, my voice growing louder. "Is it because I'm weak? You think I'm pathetic, right? But I don't think that you actually think that. If I was so pathetic you wouldn't be feeling it."

"You don't understand," he scoffed.

"Then make me understand!" I exclaimed. "If it isn't lust, then what is it?! Why is it making me feel like this?!"

"Feel like what?" he asked, his voice deadly calm.

I pursed my lips and stared at my feet. "Like I want you."

Before I had a chance to blink, I was being suffocated in heat. Hiei closed the space between us, and was pushing be back against the wall. His lips crashed against mine. My body reacted to his, wrapping my arms around his neck as his teeth nipped at my bottom lip. A growl came from deep in his chest, as I let him explore my mouth. He pressed he tighter to the wall, his hands raking down my sides, and then lifting me, to wrap my legs around his waist. I broke away from his kiss to let out a low moan as he grinded his hips into me. I captured his lips again and bit down on his lip, bringing another rumble to his chest. His fingers trailed up my thighs, leaving a trail of fire on my skin. His hands came to rest on my hips, pressing me tighter to him. His lips broke away from mine, and then in a blur of motion, I was laying on the futon.

He hovered above me, holding himself up on his hands and knees. His eyes were smoldering with black flames. The heat in the pit of my stomach pooled further down, bringing a flush to my skin as I wrapped my arms around his neck to pull him down to me. He pressed another feverish kiss to my lips before trailing them down to my neck. I bucked my hips up into his when his teeth grazed over my flesh, a moan escaping from me. He met my moan with a growl, the nipping of his teeth coming faster and rougher.

I turned my face into his neck and tested my own teeth against the skin of his neck. His hips bucked when I traced them over the sensitive skin. He captured my lips with his with a new passion, the lust rolling off of him in violent waves.

One of his hands trailed over my shoulder to come around to my chest. A gasp forced itself out of me as he gripped my breast roughly through my shirt before his hand continued further down to pull the hem of my shirt out from the waist of my skirt. His fingers danced across my bare stomach, causing my breathing to hitch. His fingers slid under my bra. Between the heat of his kiss, and the heat of his fingers circling over my breast and nipple, along with the intoxicating effects of the alcohol, my head was swimming. His mouth continued to muffle the moans that he drew from me with expert movements of his fingers. His hand began to slide its way back down over my stomach and up the outside of my thigh and over my knee before leaving heat down the side of my thigh.

He kissed me roughly to cover the loud moan that tore through me as his fingers brushed between my legs, the only barrier being the thin layer of underwear that I wore. He growled deeply, grazing his teeth over my lip before capturing my lips once again to hook his fingers around the offending fabric and yanking it away. The sound of my underwear tearing sent a new wave of heat through me. His fingers found my core once again and my body hummed in pure ecstacy. His fingers moved in slow and agonizing circles. My legs quivered as I pressed my hips further into his hand bringing forth a whimper of pleading. He was building a new heat inside of me as his fingers twirled in a dance that seemed to hit every chord in my body.

"P-please," I whispered against his lips.

I felt him smirk against my lips before quickening the dance of his fingers. He muffled another moan with a heated kiss that I was more than eager to return, wrapping my arms tightly around his neck and shoulders. The heat was building faster and faster, threatening to tear me apart at the seams before it all erupted at once in an explosion of intense pleasure and ecstasy that I had no want to fight away. I let it wash over me, my body unconsciously jerking against him. I heard the rumbling in his chest as the ecstacy began to ease away, leaving my body completely exhausted and shivering. He pulled his hand away, leaving a warm trail of feather like touches with the same fingers that had brought me to a new edge of my body that I had never experienced before. My eyelids were too heavy to fight with the effects of the alcohol and my now completely weak body.

His lips broke away from mine and I panted for breath as he leaned to my ear. "Go to sleep," he whispered.

I didn't argue. I was already asleep before I could fully turn to my side.

* * *

><p>WHAT JUST HAPPENED MAN. I DON'T EVEN KNOW. THEY WROTE THEMSELVES, OKAY?<p>

Let me introduce you to liquid courage. It has been a very good friend of mine in the past.

But, seriously, this is definitely the spiciest thing I have _ever_ written. So I hope it turned out at least halfway decent. I just almost didn't include it, but then I thought "What the hell? Why not?" Maybe it was just me wanting to press there faces together and say "NOW KISS." and then got a little carried away. Meh. Who knows?

And lets talk about one freaking monster of a fucking chapter. 10,793 words. This is by far the largest chapter I have ever written for anything in my entire life. So, I hope you all enjoy it because I don't know how many of these there will be haha.

No reviews this time around. Maybe we can change that this time?:) Please? I'd love to hear from you all. Even if it's to tell me that my spicy scene sucked and was absolutely the worst thing you've ever read.


	29. Chapter 29

"Life is ten percent what happens to you and ninety percent how you respond to it." -Lou Holtz

Gravity

Chapter Twenty-Nine

The first thing I noticed when my mind started to pull itself out of a deep slumber was that I was cold. The second thing I noticed was that my clothes were twisted around me in an extremely uncomfortable way. The third, and final thing that I noticed was that there was a soft knocking at my door.

I sat up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes, then froze as memories of last night started to come to the front of my mind when my eyes landed on my skirt which was bunched up dangerously high. Another knock came at my door and I pulled down the skirt quickly.

"C-come in," I called out, untangling the blankets from my legs and pulling them up over my chilled legs. David slid open the door and stood in the doorway.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, smiling while resting his shoulder on the door frame and crossing his arms.

"Fine!" I squeaked. I rubbed my face again, to hide a grimace. "I mean, fine," I said, leveling my voice. "Totally fine."

"Really?" he asked arching an eyebrow at me. "You seem kind of flustered."

"Nope!" I said quickly. "I'm fine!" I mentally kicked myself. I wasn't doing much good to ease his suspicion.

"Is she awake?" came a voice behind David. He turned his head to look over his shoulder and moved to the side.

Yukina appeared in the doorway next to him. "Are you feeling okay? If you have a headache I can heal it for you," she said gently as an amused smile started to appear on her face. I was certain that it was my flustered and rumpled appearance but I was too panicked to care right now.

"I'm okay!" I said attempting to smile. "I just need to go bathe and I'll be fine!"

"Okay," she said smiling. "I'm glad you're feeling okay. Are you hungry? It's a little late for breakfast, but Botan is wanting all of the girls to go out for lunch."

"Starving," I admitted, scratching at my hair. I grimaced. I could feel the tangles and knots just by touching the bobby pined and braided mess.

With that they left me alone. I let out a heavy sigh and hung my head in my hands. What the hell happened last night? I started running through the events of the night. First there was the party, and Shizuru gave me my first shot. After that, I had no idea how many shots or drinks I had. I knew it was a lot. More than enough for me to be surprised that I had woken up with out a hangover. Then I remember playing beer pong with Kurama, Yusuke and Kuwabara. After that, David told me to go and sit down. Then there was Hiei. He disappeared into the forest, and for some stupid ass reason I followed after him. I got lost, and he brought me back to the temple. We argued, then..

"Oh my God," I whispered. "Oh my God." My mind lingered on our encounter, remembering every detail in a drunken lust filled haze. The heat of his kisses and the way his fingers moved across my skin. The remembrance of it brought goose bumps to my skin. "I can't deal with this right now," I muttered. I pulled myself out of bed, and went to grab a change of clothes. I knew Botan would throw a fit if I didn't wear one of the dresses that she had bought me, so I grabbed the mint colored one off my shelf and headed out of my room. I saw Kurama in the hallway, walking towards me.

"Good morning," he said, with a smile as he approached. With my own mumbled greeting, I saw him pause for a fraction of a second, and sniff the air. His eyes narrowed slightly as he regarded my appearance.

"Do I smell as bad as I look?" I asked, half-joking.

"No," he said smiling, his expression softening back to his calm and level appearance. "But you do look like you had a long night."

I fought a blush that tried to rise in my face. "Yeah. I guess it was."

"Well, I won't keep you any longer," he said. "Botan has been waiting for you to wake up all morning. Shall I tell her where you are?" he asked.

"Yeah," I answered. "Thanks."

I hurried to the bathing room when he left. I didn't want to run into anyone else while I was sure that I looked like a hot mess. Then once I saw my reflection in the mirror that was by the shelves, I realized that I was right in my assumption that I did, indeed, look like a hot mess. My hair was barely being held together by the bobby pins that Shizuru had used. It was falling in some places, sticking up in others, and a complete frizzy mess all over. The mascara and eyeliner that Botan had used was smudged into making me look like a panda with an insomnia problem, while the lips stick I had been wearing was smeared down on my chin and my lips were still a little swollen from Hiei's kisses. My clothes were at a new level of extreme on rumpled and wrinkled.

"I'm never drinking again," I muttered. With a tired sigh I set to work trying to pull the pins out of my hair. Some were already on the verge of falling out, but others were so knotted in that it took me a lot longer to pull them out without yanking out a chunk of my hair. After removing all of the pins I went to shower and spent more time that usual trying to wash the ruined makeup off of my face and untangling the knots from my hair.

I didn't bother soaking in the spring. Botan would be looking for me, especially since I had spent so much time already trying to look halfway decent again. I dropped my rumbled clothes off in my room to deal with later and went to find Botan or one of the girls. I found Mi making her way though the hall, and when she saw me she rushed over to me. She mewled in greeting and jumped into my arms and crawling up to my shoulders, purring loudly in my ear. I reached up to scratch her behind her ear as I continued my search for Botan.

* * *

><p>The dragon flared its energy as Hiei pulled the last of the wards off of his arm. Since his encounter with the girl last night, he could feel it crawling under his skin, begging for release. Not in a way to damage his arm, or flare it's anger, but because it had finally calmed. He unwrapped the last of the enchanted chain. The dragon curled under the bandages, relishing in it's freedom from the wards. The muscles in his shoulders eased after waiting for a few moments to make sure the dragon wasn't going to lash out at his flesh again.<p>

He now knew there was no use in fighting against the dragon's wants. The dragon would be useless to him if he was required to keep it completely sealed away at all times. He cursed to himself as he flexed his fist, glaring down at the bandages that hid the dragon from view. The only way to calm it was to give it and his own body what they wanted. And that was the girl.

In the three months that they had spent at the temple that he avoided her presence he had to fight every instinct in his body to take the girl for his own. Everything in side of him fought his mind in a day and night routine, arguing against his resistence to her. If it hadn't been for the idiots that insisted on coming and celebrating some so trivial he wouldn't have given in to his wants. He would have kept his distance. He wouldn't have gone near her. There was nothing to gain from being involved with her. He wasn't one of the sentimental fools who thought of mating to be with another for the rest of their lives based on some pathetic emotions. If there was nothing to gain from it, what was the point in anchoring himself to some woman? Especially one that used to be human, of all things.

Yet, seeing her dressed the way she was, actually looking like a developed woman instead of some child had set him on edge. When he had taken her back to the temple, he had no intention of staying. But he couldn't stop himself. But when she boldly called him out, even though her words were slurred, on his repressed and ignored desires his body took control. Then her spoken confession of her own desires caused him to react. He was certain that he would have taken her if she hadn't been falling asleep beneath his touch. He could have continued. Many demons would have. But he wanted to see her react to him, to his touch. He wanted to listen to her every broken moan and heated breaths.

He grit his teeth as he clenched his bandaged hand, painfully digging his nails into his palm. She had come into this world at the worst possible time for him. His primal instinct was telling him to take a mate of anyone he saw worthy. He had lost track of how many times he had tried with Mukuro. But the dragon was a sentimental beast and would not allow it. How could it, being so fierce and could bring so much destruction that it was feared across Demon World, have feelings? Emotions strong enough to effect him in such a way?

Although he would never admit it out loud, he knew it wasn't just the dragon that felt like this. He, himself, wanted her, for some reason that was completely beyond him.

"Hey, Shrimp! I've been looking for you!" A voice came from behind him, forcing him out of his thoughts, and almost startling him. He turned his head to glare over his shoulder at the ex-detective who was strutting up to him with a wide grin. "What're you doing all the way out here for? You building a hobbit hole or something?"

He scoffed and fully turned to face the new arrival after quickly deducting that even if he ignored the ex-detective and rushed away, Yusuke would find him once again. "What do you want?" he snapped.

"Oh, you know, just taking a nice little stroll is all," Yusuke answered, crossing his arms behind his head. A slow grin started to break across his face. "I noticed you and Daelyn disappeared from the party last night, conveniently around the same time."

"What are you trying to say, detective?" Hiei scoffed, crossing his arms with a glare.

"Oh, nothing," he said simply. After he paused for a moment another grin broke out on his face. "Except that she did look really good last night and well.." he paused as his grin grew wider. "Her smell is all over you."

Hiei didn't answer at first. His glare hardened further and his jaw clenched tightly. "The fool got lost in the forest," he said finally. "I took her back to the temple. I should have just let her stay lost."

"Whatever you say, man," Yusuke said, shifting his stance to tuck his hands in his pockets. "You don't have to tell me anything. I'm just trying to let you know that Daelyn is still a human in her thinking."

"Get to your point," Hiei snapped.

"Don't string her along," he said, the amusement on his face melting away into seriousness. "I don't know what's gone on between you two in the last three months, but if you aren't serious about her, then stop whatever you two are doing before it goes too far."

"You have a lot of assumptions, detective," Hiei said with a scowl.

"I get that a lot actually," Yusuke said, the grin returning to his face again. "But anyway, I was sent out here to find you because the girls are going to Misawa today for lunch. They're already headed for the train station."

* * *

><p>I could sense Hiei somewhere near by while we sat in a small café in Misawa. Though I was scanning the roof tops outside of the window I knew I wouldn't be able to see him. It wouldn't be smart on his part to be so easily seen by the human populace if he was spending his time on the rooftops' of different buildings. I hadn't seen him at all this morning. The first time he had been close enough that I could feel his energy was when we were on the train.<p>

The dragon's energy wasn't hidden away anymore. It burned just as brightly as his own. But still..it felt different. It was more subdued than it had been before. It burned like a controlled flame instead of a roaring forest fire. Part of me was relieved that the heat had subsided, even if it was only temporary. It wasn't at the front of my mind, threatening to burn every part of me. But another part of me, for whatever unknown and stupid reason, was disappointed. I missed the heat of his presence. Something inside of me was earning for him. For every part of him. I wanted to feel the heat of his energy wrap around me. How messed up was I?

I was certain that the alcohol last night had a lot to do with what happened. If I hadn't of been drunk I wouldn't have followed him into the forest and gotten lost. I wouldn't have called him out on those hormonal feelings of his. But he had been the one to react. He kissed me. He touched me without my asking him to. He did a lot more than just kiss me. This was definitely something that I had never imagined would happen outside of being in a very serious relationship with someone. We hadn't even spoken in the last few months, and I had only seen him a handful of times. Our relationship, or whatever it was that was between us, had taken a very sudden and abrupt turn into an area that I had no earthly clue about.

What was I supposed to do now? What did he want to do now? Was he going to go back to ignoring me again? I wasn't sure if I would be able to handle that. Not after last night. But what was I supposed to say to him? The last time that I had asked him about what he wanted, he pushed me away and avoided me for months. Maybe I was supposed to let him come to me.

"Yo, earth to Daeyln," Shizuru said, bumping my shoulder. I blinked, and turned my eyes away from the window. "If you think too much harder your brain is going to explode."

"Sorry," I sighed, nothing the fact that four pairs of eyes were trained directly at me. "I was a million miles away. I'm sorry."

"We can see that," Botan giggled.

"What were you thinking so hard about?" Keiko asked from her seat across from me.

I stared at her for a moment while bitting the inside of my lip in thought. Should I tell them what happened? I was sure that Hiei was too far away to hear, and I doubted that he was annoying himself with listening to the thought of a group of giggling girls. Maybe I needed an outside point of view, because at this point I was at a complete loss as to what to do. I glanced to each of them who were watching me and waiting for my answer. I sighed again and rubbed my fingers across my forehead. I was beginning to get a headache.

"It's...Hiei," I said finally. I felt the mood shift. Every one of them leaned in closer to listen to what I was about to admit. I glanced around us to make sure that no one was close enough to hear our conversation. "Well.." I said quietly, fidgeting my fingers in my lap. I focused my eyes on my hands because I was afraid if I looked any of them in the eye I would lose what little courage I had to tell them. "Three months ago, at least that's how long ago I think it was, I um..I kissed him."

"I knew it!" Botan blurted out. I felt my ears burn and pursed my lips.

"Let her talk," Keiko said, quieting Botan's gushing.

"W-well. It was really out of no where. I was meditating and my empathy was too strong for me to keep away, and it was making me feel all of these different emotions. Hiei had to come and pull me out of meditation and when I woke up I just..kissed him. I don't know why I did it." That was a lie, but I definitely was not going to tell them the embarrassment of the lust that I was feeling. "But he kissed me back. The next day when I asked him what it meant to him he told me it meant nothing. And he's been completely avoiding me."

"What a jerk!" Keiko exclaimed.

I nodded and ran my fingers through my bangs, trying to form my next words in my mind before I said anything. "With my empathy, I knew he was lying. But it's Hiei, you know? It's not like he's just going to spill his heart out to me if I ask. I doubt he even know's how to say what he's feeling besides anger."

"Did something happen last night?" Yukina asked quietly.

I gave a single nod and sighed. "Last night while they were playing that stupid game, Hiei ran away from me into the forest. And my overly intoxicated self went and followed him. I got lost, so he took me back to the temple. Before he could leave, I called him out on how he was lying. He told me I didn't know what I was talking about. So I asked him if it was because I was too weak for him to want to be interested in me. I told him to make me understand why I felt like this."

"Feel like what?" Shizuru asked.

"Like.." I trailed off and clenched my teeth. "I don't know, honestly. It's so confusing. It's not a crush. It's..something else. But I don't know what it is. But when I told him to make me understand.." I trailed off again and pointedly looked down at the table instead of their eyes burning into me. They were silent for a few moments before I heard Keiko gasp.

"Daelyn!" she exclaimed, yet keeping her voice hushed. "Did you two..?" It was all at once that the other three came to the same conclusion that Keiko had.

"No!" I whispered harshly, my face turning beet red. "I mean..kind of?"

"Oh my goodness!" Botan gushed, covering her cheeks with her hands with a grin spreading wide on her face. I thought her face was going to split in two at the size of her grin. "I want details!"

"Botan," I groaned and hung my head in my hands.

"You have to tell us!" Keiko agreed with her eagerly.

"Do I have to?" I whined.

"Afraid so," Shizuru said, leaning back in her seat next to me. "They won't move passed this unless you do."

I couldn't look at them. I kept my face in my hands while I took a deep breath trying to figure out what to tell them without divulging everything. "He kissed me and it lead to some..other things," I grumbled. "It probably would have gone all the way if I hadn't been so tired. I'm not telling you anything else about it."

"He didn't force you into anything, did he?" Keiko asked, suddenly.

My head snapped up and I stared at her eye wide. "N-no!" I said loudly, then glanced around to make sure I hadn't drawn any attention to us. "No," I said, much quieter. "I..I wanted to. But now..I don't know what to do. Do I try and talk to him about it? Or do I let him come to me?"

They sat quietly for a few minutes, thinking over what I had told them. I sat forward in my seat and rested my elbow on the table so I could rest my cheek on my hand. I felt so much better getting everything off of my chest instead of keeping it all bottled up. Even if it was embarrassing to talk about it.

"I think that you should let him come to you about it," Shizuru said. "Don't avoid him or anything, but obviously trying to talk to him about it didn't work before, so this time you should try it the other way."

"I have to say I agree with her," Keiko said, nodding. "Hiei isn't someone who can be forced into anything. He has to think it's his idea or he won't go for it." Yukina and Botan nodded in agreement.

"So, I'm just supposed to act like nothing happened?" I asked.

"Well, no!" Botan exclaimed. "Something _did _happen. Just do little things. Like make sure to sit next to him at meals. Or just have a simple conversation with him."

"Exactly!" Keiko agreed quickly. "That way he knows that he didn't majorly mess things up. But he won't feel pressured to figure out his own feelings right away."

"Okay," I sighed. "I guess that's what I'll do then. Now, can we please talk about something else?"

Luckily, they agreed. Lunch passed quickly as we talked about their lives since I had been gone. It was nice to hear about everything. I know I had already heard everything, but it made me feel involved in their lives outside of my training. It also made me feel a little sad that I couldn't be more involved in their lives at this point in time. I really wanted to see the place that Shizuru was talking about buying for her own shop, and see what she was talking about with how she was going to set up the place. I also missed my weekly lunches with Keiko. Their lives continued on normally while I was in Misawa training. I just had to tell myself that, hopefully, it wasn't going to be too much longer until I could return home. My fighting skills were now only going to improve with experience, same with my telekinesis. But my demon energy was still sealed away, and Yokuto had made no reference as to when it would be that he would unseal it.

After lunch we decided to go ahead and head back to the temple. So I followed after Shizuru, Keiko, and Botan, with Yukina close behind me back to the train station. Yukina grabbed my wrist gently, making me pause to look back at her in question. She let the others get a little further ahead of us and gave me a small smile as we continued after them.

"I apologize," she said quietly. "I just have something I need to tell you that I don't think you'd want the others to hear."

"What is it?" I asked, my eyebrows knitting together.

"I believe you need to speak to Kurama before we leave," she said. "About what you're feeling. I understand what you're saying, because it's happening to me. Kurama was the only person who I thought would be able to help, and he did. But I feel like he would be able to explain it much better than I could."

"..Okay," I said after a moment. "I'll talk to him when we get back."

* * *

><p>I went in search for Kurama after I found Mi while Yukina distracted Keiko and Botan from the fact that I disappeared away from the group. I located his energy in the temple and I followed it. I found him outside alone in the meditation garden. He looked up from the book in his hands as I slid the door open. He gave me a pleasant smile which I returned.<p>

"Do you have a few minutes?" I asked him quietly.

"Of course," he said, marking the place in his book, and setting it down next to him. "What can I help you with?"

I blew out a sigh as I sat next to him on the large, flat rock that faced out towards a large fountain of a priestess with her hands held in some odd fashion and her eyes closed in prayer. I hadn't been in the meditation garden often, mostly because I preferred the sound of the ocean when I meditated. But it never ceased to amaze me at how beautiful it was. Yokuto kept it well taken care of, with different flowers growing with each season that I had seen at the temple, and large weeping willow trees who's branches brushed against the ground.

"Yukina told me that I should come to you," I said finally, watching as Mi stretched out on the rock between us, her black fur shining like obsidian in the sun.

"Is it because of Hiei?" he asked with a knowing smile.

I blushed. "Sort of," I said. "How'd you know?"

"I smelled him on you this morning," he answered. "And your given appearance at that time.." He didn't have to finish his sentence. My blush deepened even more. How freaking embarrassing. Of course he could smell Hiei on me. Why hadn't I put two and two together before?

"Well, it's not really about him in particular," I said, pushing away my embarrassment. I needed to figure out what was going on with me and my body, and I wasn't going to let my embarrassment stop me. "Its about what I'm feeling for him."

"It's as if you're being drawn to him, yes? Like there's something inside of you calling you to him?" he asked.

"Exactly!" I said excitedly. That was it exactly! He had perfectly described what was going on, without me even explaining anything. I sobered suddenly. "How did you know?" I asked.

"Yukina told you to speak to me, didn't she?" he asked with a soft smile. "She came to me a few years ago with your same question."

"She said the same thing is happening to her," I said, nodding.

"Yes, her feelings are towards Kuwabara," he said, confirming my words. "What do you know of Yukina's origins?" he asked me.

"I know she's Hiei's sister," I said, twisting my fingers together. "That's about it."

"Yukina and Hiei come from the Koorime race. Better known as the Ice Maidens," he explained. Ice _Maidens?_ My face drew together in confusion. Hiei most definitely wasn't a _maiden. _Kurama chuckled at my expression. "It's a race comprised solely of females that are asexual. Every one hundred years, they will become pregnant with a baby girl. Should the mother lay with a man in that time, she will be come pregnant with twins. One girl, and one boy. That is how Hiei came to be. I believe that it should be Hiei that should tell you the rest of that story, should he decide to."

"Okay. But.." I said thoughtfully. "Tetsuya told me that Hiei was somewhere around two-hundred and fifty years old?" Kurama nodded at my question. "Then does Yukina have two children?"

"No," he said, shaking his head. "These cases are very very rare. Yukina is undoubtably a full blooded Ice Maiden. We aren't really sure why she hasn't had children, but our only theory is that because her birth wasn't a normal Ice Maiden birth and that has effected her in some way to keep her from conceiving asexually."

"Oh.." I said, blinking.

"Which is why she came to me with the same question that you have. Around her and Hiei's age, demon's go through a new set of changes. Think of it as coming to full maturity. A demon's body will start searching for a mate."

"A..mate?" I asked. I was so much more confused than I had been when I first came to him.

"Think of it as a marriage between demons," he explained, crossing his legs and folding his hands in his lap. "But, much more permanent. When two demons decide to mate, they mark each other and that mark will last somewhere around one hundred years before needing to be replaced with another mark."

"So that's what is happening to me?" I asked. "But I'm no where near that old."

"No, but your body was already at full maturity when you were transformed into a demon," he explained. "So you don't need to be that old. Your body won't mature any further, so it's proceeded to go through those changes."

"I'm going through a second puberty?" I asked, pursing my lips.

"Yes," he laughed. "Something like that. Hiei and Yukina are going through it also. I'd assume that Yusuke will be soon, if he isn't already and just hasn't bothered to ask."

"..Is that the only reason why I feel this way because of him and he feels this way towards me?" I asked, my voice quiet. I wasn't sure if I wanted to know this answer. What if this was the only reason why Hiei showed any interest in me at all? What would I do then?

"No," he said, giving a single shake of his head. "There has to be attraction involved. We demons are a shallow race," he said, his emerald eyes glittering at me as he smiled. "If we don't find another attractive, then we don't want to take them as mates."

I let out a sigh of relief and sat back with my hands on the rock to keep myself up right. At least Hiei found me attractive. I suppose that was a plus. "Thank you," I said. I perked up suddenly as I remembered something else I needed to ask him. "Is that why I haven't had a period since I changed?"

"Demons don't have periods," he said, chuckling. "At least not in the sense that you are speaking of. You still ovulate, but instead of shedding the lining of your uterus the egg is absorbed back into the body until it's time to ovulate again. It happens every six months or so."

"You should have been a doctor," I said, patting him on the shoulder.

"My mother would agree with you," he laughed.

"Oh, yeah?" I asked, my interest perked. "What's your mom like?"

So we sat there, talking about his family and early life. I learned how he had come into this world, and why he was in a human body. I never expected him to tell me that he used to be an infamous bandit that was revered and well known through demon world. But at the same time, it didn't surprise me. He was a fox, and had more than a few times managed to sneak up on everyone with enough ease to make it seem like the others had no awareness to their surroundings when I knew that was the complete opposite. I was pretty sure that if I tried to sneak up on Yusuke or Hiei the way he did they would feel me over a mile away. I would have to learn a few of his tricks.

"Dinner is ready," Yukina said after sliding the door open behind us. She gave me a questioning look to ask if I had gotten the answers that I needed. I nodded and gave her a smile that she happily returned. I walked with her and Kurama to the dinning room.

I paused in the doorway when I saw Hiei already seated at the table with his back to me. Mi mewled at me, eager to eat dinner. I saw his shoulders stiffen when he noticed my presence. I set my shoulders back and took a deep breath to gather my courage to do what the girls had told me to do and went to sit next to him. He regarded me with a blank expression, but I could see that his eyes were calculating, as if he was trying to gauge my reaction to him. I simply gave him a smile, filled a bowl for Mi who sat impatiently in between us, and turned to talk to David who had come and sat next to me. Things weren't so confusing anymore.

* * *

><p>After dinner I followed the others outside. Yusuke had challenged Yokuto to a battle, to which Yokuto easily agreed to, and it was something that I was actually very eager to see. I hadn't ever seen Yokuto fight from an outside point of view, though I was very familiar with the pain that he could inflict with those stupid spinning tonfa of his.<p>

We sat along the porch, lined up to watch the duel. I sat next to David, and leaned against him, resting my head against his shoulder as Mi stretched out over both of our laps. I giggled as she nibbled at David's hand because he wasn't petting her. I saw movement in the corner of my eye and glanced over, and saw Hiei standing few feet to my left with his arms crossed while he looked out over to the two men readying themselves. He must have felt my gaze because he turned his head slightly to meet my stare. I gave him a small smile, while at the same time somehow managing to keep a blush at bay, and turned my eyes back to Yokuto and Yusuke.

Yokuto had an eye twinkling smile on his face while he fell into the stance that I was all too familiar with, his tonfa spinning dangerously fast. Yusuke grinned in anticipation with his fists raised in front of him. When Tetsuya called for them to begin they both disappeared in a blur of speed.

"Am I supposed to be seeing something?" David asked, tilting his head to me so I could hear him.

"Probably not," I answered honestly. "They're moving really fast."

"When you fought with Yusuke I could see it," he said.

"My speed isn't all that great yet," I admitted. "We're working on that."

"So..Yusuke was going easy on you?"

My face soured at his words that dawned a realization on me. David chuckled and said something to Shizuru to his other side.

* * *

><p>Hiei had been interested in seeing the fight between Yokuto and Yusuke. But the girl's presence so close to him was keeping him distracted. He had fully expected her to try and talk to him about what happened. To his surprise, she didn't. She kept near him, but didn't press him for conversation. He was silently thankful for that. He had still yet to figure out what he was going to do about the situation.<p>

Her energy was reaching out for him, leaving a pleasantly cool whispered trail across his skin that made it hard for him to concentrate. It was causing the dragon to twist in anxious happiness and desire under the bandages, and causing his own energy to reawaken for her.

He wasn't sure how much longer he could fight his desire for her.

* * *

><p>I didn't see a single damn thing of their battle, but I knew that after his first defeat, Yusuke called for best two out of three to which Yokuto agreed. Yusuke won the next round, and the third was a tie. So they decided that they could agree that the other were both equally strong, and left it at that. Yusuke was a little more pouty of that.<p>

After that Yokuto disappeared somewhere with Genkai, and Hiei disappeared somewhere outside, while the rest of us were in the living room while Tetsuya had disappeared to go and find something. He wouldn't say what, but he definitely seemed excited about it. He emerged from the shadows in the corner of the room with a thin white box in his hands and an excited grin. He held the box up for us to see. I rolled my eyes.

"Twister!" he said, bouncing on his feet. "I bought this in town a little while ago, but Daelyn is too flexible for me to be able to beat."

"So, you're trying to beat one of us?" Yusuke asked, with a quirked eyebrow. A grin broke on his face. "Challenge accepted."

I hopped up off the couch at Yusuke's agreement to play. "I'm playing if you are," I said, walking over to the door. I needed to go and at least put on a pair of shorts under my dress to play. "I know you went easy on me when we fought, so now I'm going to beat you fair and square."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," he said, waving me off, then went to help Tetsuya move the table to the corner of the room again. I hurried to my room and slipped on my shorts, then decided it would be best to just change into a tank top. Botan could complain after I won. After changing, I hurried back to the living room and stood at one side of the now laid out mat. Somehow, Tetsuya had managed to find an adult sized game of Twister. He had been absolutely ecstatic about the game until I had gone thirty games undefeated.

Tetsuya stood at another side and Yusuke stood across from me. Somehow they had wrangled Kuwabara into playing, which I knew he wouldn't last long just because of his sheer size alone. They gave Botan the job of spinning the wheel. Yusuke had decided that I would be the one to go last, I'm sure to try and make it harder for me to twist and bend around them, but it made no difference to me.

Two turns through, Tetsuya had his right foot on a yellow circle, and his left hand on a blue circle. Yusuke had two feet on red circles, while Kuwabara had his left foot on a green circle and his left hand on a yellow. I had my right hand on a blue, and a left hand on a green.

"Left foot, red!" Botan called out for Tetsuya. I watched as he figured out the easiest way to move around Kuwabara. Once his foot was placed, Botan spun the wheel again for Yusuke.

"Right hand, yellow!"

Yusuke grinned as he reached over me, holding himself up above me with only his right hand. I rolled my eyes and returned his grin, my competitive side emerging in full force, much like it had last night playing beer pong.

"Right hand, red!" Botan called for Kuwabara who had to reposition himself around Tetsuya with some difficulty. I saw him teeter, and he cursed, barely keeping balance.

"Left foot, red!" she called out to me. Yusuke cackled. Due to my position on the mat, my left foot was furthest away from red. But I would not be defeated so easily. I moved my lower body under neath Yusuke, much in a back bend position, and twisted at my waist to firmly plant my foot on a red circle. He scowled at me, and I grinned back at him. Both Tetsuya and Botan giggled at us.

As the game went on, Kuwabara had been the first to fall, almost taking Tetsuya with him. Everyone watched our game, cheering us on each turn. I could sense that Hiei had joined us somewhere in the room, but due to my position of having my face blocked by Tetsuya's leg, I couldn't see him. Yusuke was contorted in some sort of painful position to my side, and Tetsuya had somehow managed to be arched over me, that should he fall, he would take me with him. I was going to need to manage to find a way out from underneath him because if he fell, there would be no way that I could keep from not falling with him.

My next turn I did just that. I moved my left hand out from under him, freeing my upper body. Now, if he fell, I would be able to keep my lower body stiff so he didn't take me with him. The next round of turns went, Yusuke moving out of his painful position, but now Tetsuya had moved so that his face was hovering dangerously close to mine. He smiled at me, and I nervously returned it, then turned my face away. When I did, I saw Hiei standing in the corner of the room with his arms crossed and glaring daggers at my friend. I needed to get out of this position before Hiei's anger got any stronger. It was already rolling off of him like a thick fog.

I moved away from him once again, having to move my hand to a different circle, to where my face was closer to Yusuke than Tetsuya. I saw him pout, but I breathed a sigh of relief. The next round of turns left just Yusuke and I on the mat. Tetsuya didn't have much flexibility on his side, so when he had to move into a back bend, he toppled over, landing on my legs which almost caused me to fall, but I kept strong. I wasn't going to let Yusuke beat me, and now that Tetsuya wasn't in the game to distract me on how to keep my face away from his, I was focused solely on how I could make this as difficult for Yusuke as possible.

That came within the next three turns. I had woven my legs through his arms, and my left arm around his right leg. I grinned back at him as he cursed, trying to figure out a way to move around me. He moved his right leg away from me, and I silently prayed for the next two turns to give me a green or yellow for both of my legs. Luckily, that turn did, and Yusuke's turn didn't move him too much. My next turn gave me a yellow for my other leg and I giggled happily. I snaked my leg through his, putting me into a side split from how far away my legs were from each other, which had my upper body still underneath him, holding myself up with both of my hands.

I felt Hiei's energy spike behind me. I could feel his eyes trailing over me. It almost caused me to falter. I hadn't taken into account that this position would give him a full view of my rear end, and these shorts weren't exactly something I could call conservative in this position. But I held strong. I wasn't going to let Yusuke beat me.

My victory came two turns later when he couldn't twist his upper body far enough and tumbled to the ground. I jumped up and giggled as Yusuke cursed at me under his breath and rubbed his hip where he had slammed it into the ground. I didn't hear anyone as they consoled Yusuke in his defeat, or my congratulations, because when I turned, I was met with the black flamed eyes of Hiei. He grit his teeth and quickly left the room. I pursed my lips. Was I supposed to follow him?

Shizuru caught my eye, and she shook her head. I let out a quiet sigh, and distracted myself with whatever Keiko was saying to me.

* * *

><p>Oh goodness. I wonder what's going to happen now? Especially in the big CHAPTER THIRTY?!<p>

I'm so amazed at how this story has come along. When I first was coming up with this story I hadn't realized how big it was going to get. This is by far the largest story, word wise, that I have ever written. If this story plays out how I planned it, which who knows anymore with how these characters write eachother, we're only _barely_ halfway through. Good lord, this story is going to be massive haha.

I'm going to forewarn you all, I play the game Destiny, and the new DLC is dropping tomorrow which I have been waiting for since freaking January when Bungie first said that they were going to release it before they kept pushing the release date back. Sooo, the new chapter may not be out for a few days because I might be no lifeing the shit out of Destiny haha. So, please forgive me:) If you play Destiny on 360 and would like to perhaps play with me sometime, just shoot me a PM and I'll give you my gamer tag. Then you can tell me when I've spent too much time playing video games and to get my ass back to writing haha.

**KK1372**: I'm glad you enjoyed it! Haha, I was aiming for the surprise factor for that little scene:) So, I'm glad I succeeded.

**TheBucklingBridge**: Thank you! I'm happy you liked it! I honestly wasn't sure if it was any good or not haha. But I figured I would just go for it.

**XBloodMageRikaX**: Thank you! A prude Hiei is definitely no fun. I had to fix that haha. I guess, I've got alot to live up to, to make your new favorite chapter now, huh? But to quote Yusuke in my best Yusuke voice "Challenge accepted."

**Sam**: Thank you for your honesty! I hope I gave a good enough description as to what Hiei was thinking during that time! I purposefully kept him from alot of the celebration, because it was mainly written in Daelyns POV. She had gotten so used to him ignoring her, that she just started to ignore him also. Her party was alot like how the last three months had been for her. I'm glad you're enjoying it!

**Fallenlily366**: I'm glad you liked it! More is yet to come;)

**ladyscorpio**: I hope I didn't leave you hanging for too long! And I understand! You saying you would favorite it is enough for me!:)

**Guest**: Well, you didn't have to wait too long! I'm definitely an author that loves to write rocky and unpredictable, so thank you for that haha. I'm glad I'm getting that across on paper! There's definitely going to be a lot more for progression for them. Can't have anything be too lovey dovey just yet. It wouldn't be interesting to read if it was! Thank you so much!

**Heve-chan**: I totally understand! I hope you got some sleep! Botan is definitely a handful haha. But I mean, when we listen to her and do what she says, just look what happens?;) Your tips helped so much! It definitely helped flesh everything out more than just describing everything as hits and swings. I'm constantly going to be checking back at that message in the future haha. I'm taking "evil creator" as the highest compliment that someone has ever given me! I love throwing my characters through loops and trials, and I love that people enjoy reading it so that doesn't help in my sadistic ways haha. There was even a Hiei and Yusuke moment in this chapter! With many more planned in the future! And I explained the Yukina situation:) I'm glad you liked that little scene at the end! Hiei is definitely a hard one to predict. It's most certainly something they're going to have to deal with! Beer pong is a blast haha. You can look up all the rules on google and try it some time. It's so much fun to play especially if you're already a little tipsy and your aim is waaaay off. I didn't really think too much about what drink it was that she first had, tbh. I just kinda kept it at, "well, she doesn't know what it is, so I'm not going to bother thinking of one." I imagine it was a whiskey of some kind haha. Liquid courage can either be a great friend or a horrible enemy I've come to find out:p. I'm glad you liked it!

Thank you for all the favorites, follows and reviews! Please, send me a PM or leave a review and let me know what you think!:)


	30. Chapter 30

"Her eyes and words are so icy

Oh, but she burns

like rum on the fire.

Hot and fast and angry

as she can be

I walk my days on the wire."

- "Cherry Wine" Hozier

Gravity

Chapter Thirty

I retreated to my room as everyone started to retire. Mi was curled up on my pillow, staring at me with wide blue eyes. I let out a sigh and flopped down on the futon and wrapped my arms around her while pressing my face into her fur. She started purring, kneading happily at the pillow. I closed my eyes with a sigh.

Everyone was leaving tomorrow afternoon to get back to their normal day to day lives. I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little jealous. Maybe it was childish of me. I envied the fact that they were living normal lives. It was almost humourous to me. I was here at the temple, just outside of Misawa, training my super powers and I was envious of them for having jobs and homes to return to every night. But I was also going to be really sad when they left. Who knew when I would see them again, or when I would return home? It could be a week from now, or it could be six months from now. There was no telling. I couldn't exactly ask. It was all up to how fast I mastered what Yokuto was training me.

I rolled over to my back and stared up at the ceiling. I wouldn't waste time feeling sorry for myself. Once this training was over I would go back home, back to normal life. At least until Seikatsu showed his face again. Then I would make sure to end it so I never had to worry about him again. I was so ready for that day to be here and gone. But then what would happen after that?

Everything would go back to normal. Weekly lunches with Keiko, pestering my brother and Yusuke. Kurama would go back to his flower shop, Kuwabara to his dojo. Hiei would go back to demon world. I pursed my lips. How hadn't I thought of that before? Hiei was only staying around me because he had orders to do so. Once there was no longer a need for him to be in human world to watch over me, of course he would go back to demon world.

Did that mean that everything between us was just because he was forced to be here? Would all of this even matter once all of this was over? Mi mewed next to me and curled up next to my face. I sighed and pulled the blankets over me. I wasn't going to worry about this right now. But sleep wouldn't come to me. I tossed and turned, but my body wouldn't settle long enough to let sleep over take me. So with a heavy sigh, I sat up, careful to not disturb Mi. I knew everyone was asleep at this point, but I needed to get up and do something instead of laying here and wallowing in my not so pleasant thoughts.

I stood from my bed, and grabbed my mp3 player off of my night stand and tip-toed my way out of the room and out of the hall where everyone was sleeping. I headed for the training room, while putting my ear buds in and flipping through the music that played through them. Once in the training room, I went over to the windows and slid them open to let in the breeze from the ocean because I knew I was going to get hot, and the smell of the salt water was comforting.

I finally settled on just letting the music play randomly, because I didn't know what genre would match my mood to settle me down. I took a few minutes to stretch, which is something that I hadn't done in a while. Due to Yokuto's training, I hadn't bothered stretching because I learned that I was going to be sore either way. My muscles never had time to fully tighten up and get overly painful, even though I was still in a constant state of some level of sore, because it seemed like I was constantly doing some kind of training. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that I was a demon now. Perhaps my muscles were more resistant to abuse now. But still, it felt good to stretch like how I used to before I danced. It felt normal.

After stretching, I closed my eyes, the room coming to life in its different colored energy, while my brain filled in the color. I took a few moments to find the beat of the music, then letting it take control over my body. I let it take over my mind with the words drowning out my own thoughts from my head. It was probably another route to running away from my problems, but I didn't care. I couldn't think about Hiei potentially leaving for me to maybe never see him again while I went on pretending to be human in this world until people started to notice that I wasn't aging.

The music kept my body moving and my mind preoccupied for a few hours before I noticed someone leaning on the window sill. I paused, blinking as I opened my eyes. I turned to see Hiei watching me closely. I pulled one of my ear buds out of my ear and gave him a small smile to hide my embarrassment. How long had he been sitting there? I honestly had no idea. I was too wrapped up into my own little world.

"Hi," I said quietly. He simply blinked in response, his face completely blank and void of emotion. I shifted on my feet and fidgeted with my fingers. What was I supposed to say? The sound from my mp3 player shifted from one song to another. My face brightened. I held my hand out to him. "Come here," I said. "This is one of my favorite songs, but I need someone to dance with."

The look he gave me was something that I would probably laugh at later. It was a mixture of surprise, disgust, disbelief, and apprehension. "I don't dance," he scoffed.

"Nonsense," I said, smiling. "Everyone dances. Maybe not well, but as long as you enjoy it, who cares? Besides, I'll lead. You don't have to worry about embarrassing yourself, okay?"

"Don't be stupid," he scoffed again.

"Please?" I asked, giving him a soft smile. I had no idea what I was thinking. Hiei? Dancing? With me? The idea was hilarious. But I could still try, couldn't I? He watched me with narrowed eyes for a moment. I saw his bandaged hand clench tightly, the muscles in his arm working as the darker energy of his dragon reached out for my hand. "Please?" I asked again. I saw his jaw clench as he gritted his teeth before shoving away from the window. I had been expecting him to blur away, but to my surprise, he made his way over to me. He stared down at my hand like it was some foreign thing he had never seen before. I smiled brightly, and pulled the other bud out of my ear and draped it around my neck. I turned the volume up as loud as it could go, so he could hear it. The words were in English, but I could easily translate them for him. I started the song over, then took his bandaged hand and wrapped his arm around my waist, while holding his other hand in mine. I rested my free hand on his bicep. "Just follow me, okay? I won't do anything crazy."

* * *

><p>What in the world was he thinking? Why had he let himself get pulled into this? the dragon purred under his skin as the girl smiled up at him, her eyes glowing with her energy in the dark room, giving her sight in the darkness. He gritted his teeth as she pushed herself closer to him, pressing herself flush against him. He had never done this before, why was he doing it now? The dragon, of course. It had leapt at her request for him to dance with her. It was such a sentimental beast, something that he was coming to have a further distaste for. But it's will was powerful, and for some damned reason, his own will was weak against her.<p>

She started to lead him in some fluid fashion that he had never done before. Before he could think too much on it, his attention was drawn to the words that she was half singing to him the words of the song that he was assuming she was translating from English to Japanese for him to understand. He wasn't one to enjoy music as much as his old team mates seemed to, but the words she spoke were like fire in his blood.

"Her fight a fury is fiery,

Oh, but she loves,

like sleep to the freezing.

Sweet and right and merciful,

I'm all but washed

In the tide of her breathing.

And it's worth it, it's divine,

And I can have this some of the time."

The words wrapped around him in the coolness of her energy as she lead him across the floor. Soon the words faded out, leaving only the gentle sound of the guitar in their ears. He found himself willingly holding her to him, relishing the cool of her energy against the heat of his own. The dragon was twisting around his arm, more than elated to be able to be so close to her. As the song came to an end, before transitioning into another more up beat song, she looked up to him.

He studied her eyes closely, as she stared back eye wide at him. A familiar pale blush crossed over her cheeks where freckles were beginning to form from her days spent outside training. As the dragon sent whispers of urges up his flesh, he traced his gaze across her face. He had never taken the time to look at her so closely. He had always known that she was attractive in her own, much different way. She definitely wasn't native to Japan, he knew that. But even if he didn't, it wouldn't be hard to guess with her doe like eyes, and fragile features. Her hair was even curlier than before, now that the idiots sister had cut it, trailing down her back and brushing gently against his arm. The dragon whispered further urges to him which took more will than he knew he had to not give in.

But as he stared down at her, he knew, now more than ever. It was no good to fight it.

* * *

><p>"Hiei?" I said quietly. His gaze came back to my own from where it had trailed over my face. "I..Um..." I didn't know what to say. The skin on skin contact between us let me be more in tune with his emotions. They were swirling back and forth, between acceptance and denial, while the emotion from his dragon was nothing but urges and promises. Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea. Now that we were so close, his energy wrapping like an uncontrolled fire around me, and his smell of wood smoke, my body was reacting to his again. I could feel the heat spreading through me and there was nothing I could do about it.<p>

What was I supposed to do? I knew that this feeling wasn't anything I could really control. But what would happen if I went through with it? Did I want to go through with it? To be plagued with the idea of being physically connected with someone without knowing what true feelings were there scared me to death. Did I love him? I wasn't sure. The want of my own body made it hard for me to discern what feelings were there. Love was a thing that I wasn't well versed in. The love of family and the love of friends was something I knew. A romantic love, well, I only had experience from books and movies. Wasn't it supposed to be butterflies and happiness?

What I felt with Hiei was thick and hot. It burned me at every edge of my body, and called me closer to him. Was that what love was really supposed to be like? I couldn't even remember when I started to feel like this. Kurama had said it was just my body reacting to his because of my change, but now I wasn't so sure that it was only that. When he stared at me like he was now, it was like it was always meant to be, and there was nothing I could do to fight it. The crush that I had on Tetsuya was so different. It made me giggle and giddy with happiness. This..this made me want to hold on to Hiei and never let go.

That's what love was supposed to be, wasn't it? Never wanting the person to leave? I had a feeling that this was different for a demon. The word "mate" flashed through my mind and how Kurama had explained it. The mark was permanent for one hundred years, assuring the fact that the other couldn't leave. It was like possessing someone. I didn't want to possess him. I didn't want him to possess me. I wanted him to stay with me because he wanted to. I wanted to stay with him because I wanted to. Possessing seemed like something that Seikatsu would do. It _was_ something Seikatsu would do. What I was feeling for Hiei was me wanting to possess him. That was something I couldn't do.

I stepped back from him, and wrapped my arms around myself as he watched me with narrowed eyes. I swallowed the dryness in my throat, trying to push away the heat on my skin. I couldn't do this. I couldn't allow this to go any further. Not when it was just pure instinct. I turned from him and rushed out of the room. He didn't follow me as I ran back to my room.

I tossed my mp3 player onto my night stand and crawled back under my blankets where I had been a few hours ago, and held Mi close to my chest as she slept. I squeezed my eyes shut, and forced my self not to see the world around me in the darkness. It would give be a head ache to push my powers away like that, but I didn't want to see anything. I just wanted to go to sleep in the darkness. I didn't want to see the energy of the room.

How had I been stupid enough to think that this went beyond instinct? I thought he was attractive. More than attractive. But Kurama had even said that if demons don't find the other attractive, then the pull won't be there. What I felt for Hiei wasn't like, or love, it was an instinct to possess him. That was something I couldn't do. I would fight against it until the urge went away.

* * *

><p>After about the fifth time of waking up that night, I decided sleep just wasn't going to happen tonight. So before the sun had even started to rise in the sky, I was awake and dressed in the peach dress that Botan had bought for me, with a jacket pulled over it and a cup of coffee in hand as I sat out on the front porch to watch the morning rise, and kept all thoughts of Hiei at bay. I wouldn't dwell on it, because if I thought about it too much, then it wouldn't go away. I was going to ignore it. A breeze sent a chill over me as I pulled my jacket closer to me, Although it was well into summer, being so close to the ocean kept the nights and mornings chilly, but unfortunately kept the days humid.<p>

I watched the trees as the animals that called the forest home began to wake up. I could hear them rustling through the brush as they searched for their breakfast. The birds were beginning to sing their morning song as the fluttered through the branches. It was amazing to think that this place was only a train ride away from Tokyo where you couldn't ever see the stars, or ever have a true moment of silence to appreciate the sounds of the world around you. Even Misawa which wasn't even a fourth of the population of Tokyo seemed too loud if I spent an extended period of time at the temple without going into town.

Maybe one day I would become like Yokuto and Genkai. Build a temple out in the middle of no where with a set of never ending stairs and train students to control their powers. Besides dancing, my powers were about the only thing I was at least decent at using. Or becoming decent at using. I still had a lot more to learn, but everyone had to learn at some point. I could only imagine someone like Yokuto or Genkai in their early stages of mastering their power and being where I was at now.

Now that I thought about it, I had never seen Yokuto use his demon or spirit energy. I had no idea what kind of demon he was. I knew he was half human, but that was it. I knew he had an abundance of both because I could sense it.

"You're awake early," a voice came from behind, startling me. I whipped my head around to see Yokuto with crinkled and twinkling eyes as he tried to hide his smile behind his cup. I gave him a bland expression as he came to sit next to me. "Couldn't sleep?" he asked.

"Not really," I answered. "Just kept waking up." We sat in silence for a few moments before I spoke. "Yokuto, what kind of demon are you?" I asked, glancing over at him.

"You're up before dawn, sitting outside to watch the sunrise, and that's what you're pondering about?" he asked, with a smile.

I shrugged. "I can't always say that there's a method to my madness," I admitted. "My mind tends to wander away on it's own without my permission and comes up with some pretty random things for me to think about."

"I can see that," he chuckled. "My father was a powerful human psychic. My mother had the power over electricity which was handed down to me." He glanced over to me. "This temple was my fathers before he passed."

"Did he teach people how to use their powers?" I asked. This was the first time I had ever heard Yokuto talk about himself, and I was eager to learn about my teacher. He already knew so much about me. It didn't feel right that I knew so little of him.

"Yes," he said, pulling his tobacco pipe out of his sleeve and bringing it up to his lips and lighting it. "He was well known in his time. Spirit World sent many young psychics to him and many came of their own will. There was a time that this temple had every room filled with at least two students to a room."

"Wow," I said, blinking.

"'Wow' indeed," he chuckled. "Psychics gathered from far and wide at the chance to learn my fathers technique that he developed. He never found one that he thought was truly worthy of it so he passed it on to me in hopes that through my years I would find someone that was worthy."

"Have you? Found someone worthy, I mean?" I asked, wrapping my jacket closer to me as a breeze blew through the trees.

"Possibly," he said, glancing over at me while smoke trailed up from his pipe. "But we shall see after we see how well you fare with the rest of your training."

I paused to let his words sink in. I turned to look at him in surprise. "Me?" I asked in complete disbelief.

"It's part of the reason Koenma wanted me to be your teacher," he answered. "I informed him that only your actions and perseverance would determine if you were worthy of it." He paused to lift his cup to his lips, then continued. "You've shown the most promise of anyone my father taught, or anyone I have taught before you. Koenma has a lot of faith in you."

"Well then," I said, running my hand through my hair. "I guess I should feel honored."

He hummed in response.

* * *

><p>"Where's Hiei?" Botan asked, almost sliding passed the living room door in her socks. "Come outside! We need to find Hiei!"<p>

I blinked, and turned my head to look back David and Kurama who only shook their heads to signal that they had no idea what was going on. I stood from the couch, Mi following close at my heels, and hesitantly followed after Botan where she had run off down the hall with David and Kurama behind me. She had run off outside, her bubbly voice chattering loudly as she and Keiko were messing with something, their bodies blocking it from my view. Apparently Botan had already gathered everyone outside, because all of us were standing there a little confused. Her head popped up and turned to look at me.

"Find Hiei!" she told me.

"How am I supposed to find him?" I asked, crossing my arms.

"I don't know! Just do it!" she chirped then, went back to what she was messing with.

I rolled my eyes and searched around us to find his energy. He was far enough away that I couldn't get an exact location, so I let out a sigh and started to reach my mind out towards him. I hated using my telepathy, but I knew if I went searching for him I would either get lost, or he would sense me coming and run off. My mind found his, and as usual, I ran into his mental block. I gently pressed against it, alerting him to my presence. I felt him lower it grudgingly.

"_What?_" he said, his voice only slightly snappy.

"_Botan told me to find you._" I answered, not letting myself waver from his voice. I didn't want to be in his head. It was warm, and called to me like how his body did when he was near.

"_Why?_" he asked, calmer than before.

"_I don't know. She's doing something weird. She just told me to find you, so I'd suggest getting out here before she comes to find you,_" I warned. I knew the power of Botan's determination, and I doubt even Hiei had any power over it.

I felt his mental barrier come back up, pushing me gently from his mind. I pulled my own mind back to myself and looked up from where I was staring at my feet, giving a silent sigh of relief that I wasn't being pulled into his heat anymore. My gaze fell on a camera that Botan had set up on a stand. She was still messing with it, trying to find the perfect angle for it, when Hiei appeared from the trees.

He was glaring at our blue haired friend. I saw that he was about to disappear back into the forest, then noticed that Yusuke had somehow snuck around him. He clamped his hand down on his shoulder, and pushed him forward to the group as Botan perked her head up from the camera.

"Everyone get together!" she said, happily. We did as we were told, knowing better than to argue. I stood in front of David, who was standing next to Shizuru. The others gathered together, the taller ones in the back, being David, Shizuru, Kurama, Yusuke, Kuwabara, Tetsuya and Yokuto, and the shorter ones in the front, being me, Keiko, Yukina, Genkai, and a space for Botan. Hiei refused to actually get into line up, and stood just off to the side of me. Mi jumped into my arms and crawled up on my shoulders. Yusuke pushed Hiei over next to me, and I smiled up at him apologetically, then turned my gaze away from him. I couldn't look at him for too long without a pain in my chest from ignoring my instinct. He scoffed and crossed his arms, to which Mi decided that his shoulders looked a lot more comfortable than mine, and crawled over to him. A red light came on from the camera and Botan skipped over to us in the empty space for her, which was next to me where "accidently" bumped me into Hiei. The flash went off on the camera before I could right myself. Botan skipped away with a giggle and I straightened myself with a blush. This did not help in the fact that I was trying to ignore my pull towards him. The heat of his body made it so much worse.

"Perfect!" Botan said happily. I sent her a flustered glare that she chose to ignore by giving me a sly grin in return.

"We have a visitor," came Yokuto's voice. I looked over at him. He was staring out into the yard to our right. The light hearted mood started to shift as a swirling blue portal began to appear. When Koenma stepped out of the portal with a grim expression on his face, the mood darkened even further. Mi jumped over to me from Hiei, and crawled into my arms. I gave no complaint as she nuzzled her face into my neck as Koenma made his way over to our group.

"Well, damn, Koenma, showing up to the celebration a few days late," Yusuke attempted to joke to lighten the mood. But Koenma's expression stayed firm as he reached into his robes to pull out a glowing lilac orb.

"Perhaps we should go sit down," Yokuto said. Koenma gave one stiff nod. I tightened my grip on Mi as our group made our way back inside to the temple.

The mood coming off of Koenma was right at the front of my mind and it was putting me on edge. David wrapped his arm around my shoulders. I knew that my wariness of the situation was probably effecting David, Keiko and Shizuru, but there was nothing I could do. I couldn't rein it in. Something was not right with this situation. We gathered into the dinning room, where Koenma sat across from me.

"David," Yokuto spoke up. "I'm going to have to ask that you not sit next to Daelyn. Her emotions are effecting yours at this moment. The closer you are, the worse it will be." I gave David a pursed smile in apology. I had yet to learn how to control my strong emotions from effecting those without a mental barrier. David gave a single nod and move across the table. Hiei sat to one side of me, while Yokuto took the other. It was easy to ignore the fact that Hiei was so close as I watched Koenma while everyone else settled in. His expression was stiff, yet at the same time is was panicked and nervous as his fingers traced along the edges of the orb he had in his hands. "So, what brings you to my humble abode today, Koenma?" Yokuto asked, leaning his elbow on the table to rest his cheek on his fist.

"I received this a few hours ago from a messenger that Seikatsu sent to Spirit World," he said, his fidgeting coming to a stop. I felt a wave of fear wash over me. The warmth of Hiei's energy wrapped around me. The darker energy sending soothing waves through me as Koenma spoke again. "I attempted to break it, but it's been enchanted. The only one who can open it is who it is addressed to," he said, setting it on the table across from me. All eyes were on the orb, My mind was screaming at me not to touch it, and to just run from the hills. But I knew better than that. I started to reach for it, but was stopped by Yusuke who snatched it up from the table where he was sitting next to Koenma.

"How do we know this isn't a trap?" he asked. "This dude is crazy! Who know's what he could have done to it?"

"What exactly is it?" I asked. It could be a lot of things, I figured. Yusuke was right, this was Seikatsu we were talking about.

"Think of it like a recording," Yokuto said. "That's the best way to describe it. Yusuke, please return it to her. I'm rather curious as to what he has to say." Yusuke looked apprehensively down to the orb in his hand, but after a few moments of thought, he eventually realized that it was useless to argue with Yokuto, and handed it back to me. "Toss it against the wall," he instructed. I chewed the inside of my lip as I tested the weight of the orb in my hand while I stood. I stood in front of the bare wall of the dinning room and tossed it. It shattered, and a burst of energy exploded from it. I stiffened as the tall form of Seikatsu appeared in front of me. My fight or flight response was screaming at me to run as far away as possible, until I noticed that even though he was standing in front of me, he was see through, like a hologram. I let out a shaking breath, but still took a step back away from his image.

"_Hello, my Queen. It's been too long, has it not?" _he said, causing me to grimace. The sound of his voice made my adrenaline skyrocket. He seemed to stand from whatever it was that he had been leaning on, standing tall and proud while he crossed his arms in front of him with a sickening smile._ "Unfortunately, your dear teacher has enforced his security around his home and I can't visit you in your dreams. Those wards are quite aggravating to me, but we shall see each other again soon, so don't fear about that. Everyone here at the castle is worried about you. It's been so long since they hard anything about you. Especially Akemi and Naoko*. I hadn't realized that you made such an impression on those two. I'll have to remember that for sometime in the future." _That thought made me almost physically sick. What was he planning for those two girls? They were innocent. Harmless.

"_But let me get to my point for having to use Spirit World to speak to you. I hope that I am right in assuming that you didn't break this orb without the presence of your pestering friends. In three weeks, I will be temporarily letting down the barrier around my land. I should let you know, Koenma, and the others listening, if Spirit World, or any of your people try move to invade my lands will be seen as an act of war that I am willing and ready to finish before Enma could blink." _There was another shift in the mood of the room. It had gone from apprehensive, to everyone in different stages of anger._ "I am not lowering the barrier around my lands for simple fun. I am bringing the barrier down because I wish to speak with the three demon kings, and the ruler of demon world, Enki. And you, Daelyn, of course. But should anyone besides those that I have invited cross into my land, do so remember that I have an army that is getting stir-crazy and itching for a fight._

_Should those invited choose to not appear, it will be seen as an act of war against their people and land. I do hope that three weeks is more than adequate to prepare yourselves for the journey here. And Tetsuya, I do trust that you can find your way back here. I look forward to seeing you again, Daelyn." _With that his image flickered away. The room was silent for a few moments before erupting into noise.

"What the hell?!" Yusuke exclaimed. "Why the hell does he want to meet with us?"

"There's no way to know until the time comes," Koenma sighed, rubbing his fingers along his forehead. He had stress lines etched deeply into his face. "We can only do as he asks to keep from having a war."

"Do you even know where Yomi is?" Yusuke asked him, then looked over to Kurama.

"No," Kurama answered simply, clasping his hands together under his chin in a worried manner. "But I can find him. He will come should I call."

"What about Mukuro?" Yusuke asked, turning to look at Hiei. "You think she'll go along with this?"

Ruby eyes fell on me. I felt a familiar heat wash over me, as I lowered my head to break our eye contact. It hurt to look at him for too long. It made it hard to breathe. The silent answer I assumed he gave was enough for Yusuke to accept. They chattered around me in a nervous roar, multiple conversations at once. Their emotions wrapped around me in a suffocating way, like a wool blanket in the humid air of summer. My head spun in circles as I tried to wrap my mind around the fact that I was going to have to see Seikatsu face to face. I knew it was going to happen at some point. But this was too soon. I wasn't ready to face him. Not after what he had done to me. What he had made me see. How was I supposed to face him? I was terrified of him. I had never been so scared of something in my life. Even when I was scared about turning into a demon while thinking that my friends were out to kill me was nothing compared to this. The fear that he struck inside of me was paralyzing. It made me sick. It brought painful chills to my skin, and clenched my throat like a vice. I was pulled out of my mind as Yusuke rested a hand on my shoulder.e

"Don't worry," he said, with a small but confident smile. "I'll be there to make sure nothing happens. It won't end badly, I promise."

"It's Seikatsu," I said, wrapping my arms around myself and turning away from him to make my way out of the dinning room. "It's going to end badly."

h

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><p>I am sooo sorry for the late update! I know I said that it was going to be a little late because of the Destiny DLC release, but I was only expecting like two days at the most! The weather has been terrible here and knocked out our internet and the company has been so busy with repairing every ones damaged stuff that they just got to us earlier today and it's still not working all the time. So I apologize for the short update, but I really wanted to get this out while I still had working internet. I promise the next chapter will be longer!<p>

And I told you something big was going to happen in chapter thirty. But what I didn't say was TWO big things happened in chapter thirty! Mwuahaha. Eh-hem. So now, our little Dae-dae is running away from her feelings while Hiei is ready to give in. Will these two ever be on the same page? Jeez.t

Also! Akemi and Naoko are in chapter 16. They're the two servants that helped Daelyn when she woke up. And the song that they were dancing to is the song quoted in the beginning. I love Hozier and I had to add his music in somewhere haha.

**dewa95**: Well, it didn't take long. But now Daelyn has to go and make things difficult. These two are never going to be on the same page, I swear. They make things so difficult. Ugh.

**Ashley**: Of freaking course when you say that you love when I pose on a regular basis my internet has to go out. Sigh. Hopefully it gets fixed soon. I can't go without updating for you guys for this long haha. Definitely let me know if you do! I'd love to read it!:)

**Zakuro Nakishai**: I freaking love the new DLC. I totally just sat there and played it for like three days and I already have a 34 hunter haha. It's kind of ridiculous how much I played it until my internet got knocked out. Well, he's about ready to give in, but I couldn't let things go so smoothly. I do like a little drama:)

**Aly Goode**: I'm glad you liked it! Yes, it was my first scene like that haha. I was really nervous about posting it. I'm definitely not ready for them to go all the way just yet. It won't be for a while. But who knows what could happen between now and then? I got a head ache from writing those two together with our poor Dae-dae haha. I probably would have run away myself. I have a deep love for make up also even though I hardly ever ware it. And I just kinda came up with the outfit in my head. I might attempt to draw it eventually though. I love writing Yusuke! He's so much fun to write haha. Their bickering makes me giggle every time. I'm happy the fighting scene turned out okay! Kurama definitely needed some screen time, and I felt that he would be able to explain everything best, so that's how that scene came along:) I've actually never seen a bob cat in person! I lived too close to the city growing up and now I currently live in the city, so no bob cats for me:( They're so stinkin' cute though. Mi definitely has alot of attitude. But what cat doesn't? I'm glad that you remembered that Daelyn wanted to go to the beach! I'm trying to tie things together as I go haha. And yes, you should be alarmed by Yokuto's words. I'm a very cruel author haha.

**Heve-chan**: Ummm. I think I'm going to go with Daelyn on that with Hiei in close second haha. I do love turmoil in my characters, and I enjoy stringing things out a little too much. But, hey, it makes for an interesting read, you know? I'm glad that you like the idea with Yukina! There is (usually) always a method to my madness. You should definitely try it! You can look up the rules on google! The madness is definitely flowing with this story, so you have a lot more to look forward to! It's far from over haha. Part of that madness is even flowing into the sister story:P I hope I can update sooner, because I was gone alot longer than I wanted to be!

**SissyPerigin**: First off, let me say thank you from the deepest part of my heart. I've never had someone compliment my writing in such a way that you have. Most of the time I'm so worried that something isn't coming out right, or I'm not doing something right, or even people just don't like what I'm doing. I'm trying as hard as I can to make a well rounded story, and to convey the emotions my characters are feeling. I always feel like I could have done so much more, you know? I'm so happy that I'm doing good with everything. Thank you so much!

Thank you for the favorites, follows and reviews! And please forgive my absence:) Hopefully my internet gets figured out soon.


	31. Chapter 31

"The mark of fear is not easily erased." -Ernest Gaines

Gravity

Chapter Thirty-One

I didn't even bother with shoes as I made my way outside. I needed to get away from them. Their emotions were suffocating me, keeping me from forming my own thoughts. I needed to gather myself before I faced them, let alone the idea of Seikatsu. I never thought that a single name would strike so much fear inside of me. Sure, I had been weary of him after coming to find out that my friends really weren't trying to kill me. But after he took me and drugged me so I would see those hallucinations, he reached out and gripped tight to a level of fear inside of me that I didn't know I had.

The idea of going to face him was almost enough to send me into a hyperventilating and blubbering mess. To face him in the castle that he kept me captive? The fear made my head spin. Why couldn't he just leave me alone? _Because he's a lunatic_, I thought. He wouldn't ever leave me alone unless he was dead or in spirit world jail. I assumed that even if he was in jail he would find some scheme to get out and cause me more problems. I never thought I would wish for.._No._ I thought, shaking my head as I made my way through the forest without a true destination in mind. I would not let myself go down that path of wishing death for someone. I could only hope for his capture, and whatever spirit world decided to do with him after, well that's their business. That wasn't on me.

I kept walking further into the forest until the sound of flowing water reached my ears. I quickened my pace even further until I came to the edge of the slow flowing river that Tetsuya and I had found so long ago. It must had been a different part of the river because the part we had found of it had sandy banks, where this part of it was rocky, and much deeper. I walked out over the rocks, finding one that was large enough to sit on and dipped my feet into the water with a sigh.

Now that I was away from everyone it felt like I could breathe again. My emotions were my own now, leaving me to work through them without disturbance. I watched as the fish in the water started circling around my feet curiously as my mind wandered back to Seikatsu. When I had to face Seikatsu, I wouldn't be alone. I knew Yusuke was one of the demon kings of demon world, so he would be there along with whoever Mukuro and Yomi were. That didn't do much to ease my fear. Seikatsu was twisted. There was no telling what he had planned for when we got there. He had mentioned that he had an army that was eager for a war. So who was to say that he wouldn't do something while we were in his lands, triggering a war himself? I knew for a fact that he was crazy enough to do it.

The breeze rustled through the trees as a familiar energy appeared behind me. I looked over my shoulder to see Tetsuya emerge from the shadows with Mi on his shoulders. He gave me a small smile before moving over to the rock I was sitting on to sit next to me. Mi jumped down to sit next to me, while pressing her face against my arm. I ran my fingers through her fur as Tetsuya pulled off his shoes and pulled up his pant legs up to his knees before putting his own feet in the water.

"David asked me to come and check on you," he said, leaning back on his hands. "I think Hiei wanted to come, but he, and the others are discussing how to find Yomi and some other things." I hummed in response and leaned forward to watch the fish that circled around our feet as they brushed against us with their smooth and colorful bodies. "You're scared aren't you?" he asked.

"Scared is an understatement," I answered with a small smile. Mi began purring comfortingly under my touch. "I'm absolutely terrified, Tetsuya."

"You should be," he said honestly. "I won't give you some line about how you shouldn't be afraid because we won't let it happen. I know the power that Seikatsu has to his disposal. Before, when I thought that he was one of the good guys, I thought that he only had that power to protect his people. But now that I know the truth, the fact that he's so willing to start a war, and how he's so twisted and evil, I'm terrified."

"I know," I said, sitting straight once again. "I can feel it." I paused, looking up at the trees rustling in the breeze above us. "I think I'm going to ask Yokuto to release my demon energy before we go to demon world to see Seikatsu." I felt a shift in Tetsuya's mood when I said that. I glanced over at him to see a hard expression on his face. "What is it?" I asked, my brows knitting together.

"Oh, nothing. I think that's a good idea," he said a little too quickly.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "You're lying," I said. "I can feel it. Don't lie to me, Tetsuya." He pursed his lips as his coal eyes searched over my face. I narrowed my eyes at him further, causing him to look away quickly. After a few moments he let out a heavy sigh and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Yokuto was planning on releasing your energy tomorrow," he said, his normal bubbly tone completely void in his voice. "I don't know if he still is, but he told me he was planning on doing it."

"Okay," I said, slowly. "So why are you so freaked out?"

He sat up from his relaxed position and gripped his hands in his lap, staring intently down at them. "I'm not supposed to tell you," he said finally.

"Say's who?" I asked.

"Yokuto," he answered. "He doesn't want me to tell you because he's afraid it's going to cause you to be scared of it."

"Too late," I said. "I'm already scared and now I know that something is going on. So, tell me."

"You kind of already know," he said, looking over at me. "You remember what happened when you tried to release it the first time? How he had to seal it because it was destroying your soul?" he asked. I gave a slight nod. "Well, if he releases it now, he won't be able to seal it back. It's grown so much in these last few months that it's already trying to break free from the seal, and it's pretty close to doing it. If he releases it and you aren't ready for it.." he trailed off.

"He won't be able to seal it back and I'll die," I finished for him. He gave a weak nod. I chewed the corner of my lip as I let this new information sink in. I leaned back on my hands with a sigh. "It's whatever, I guess," I finally said. His head snapped over to stare at me in shock. "I mean, think about it. All of this happened because I died. Dying isn't so bad. Where would we be now, if I hadn't died? You would still be with Seikatsu, unknowingly helping him with whatever it is that he has planned. I would still be a clueless human. I wouldn't have met you or Yokuto. Or Hiei. I wouldn't have the best friends that anyone could ever ask for. Who know's what could happen if I died again?"

"So, you aren't scared?" he asked, the confusion clear in his expression and voice.

"I'm terrified," I answered. "I don't want to die. Especially not because of something that is supposed to help me be stronger. But I would rather die than be captured by Seikatsu again. The only way I know I could ever even think about standing a chance against him is if I had my demon energy. Right now, I can't even beat Yokuto at full power. How would I ever stand a chance against Seikatsu?"

"You wouldn't," he sighed. "I just don't like the idea of you dying."

"Seikatsu wouldn't let me stay dead," I said, brushing my hair out of my eyes. "He'd find some way to bring me back, just like he did before. He needs me for whatever reason it is that he has."

"I guess you're right," he said after a few moments of thought. I looked over at him, watching him as his eyes sparkled with the reflection of the water. His normal grin that I had come so familiar with was hidden away in his thoughtful expression. As I looked him over I found my mind wandering to my situation with Hiei. This would be so much easier if it had been Tetsuya that I was feeling this instinct for. Why couldn't it be him? I thought he was attractive. He was a little hard to handle at times with his abundance of energy he had, but there were times like this that he could be serious. It would be so easy to fall in love with him. He was kind, funny, sweet. He cared about me, and I cared about him. The thought crossed my mind to just ignore the instinct and be with Tetsuya, no matter what my body was telling me. But that just wouldn't feel right to do. As the days passed that I was constantly around Hiei at some sort of distance, the feelings grew stronger, drowning out the crush that I had on Tetsuya before. I was positive that if it wasn't for these unwanted feelings, that I would still feel the same about Tetsuya that I had before, but that wasn't the case. If I ignored the instinct that I was feeling to be with Tetsuya it would just feel like one giant lie. He didn't deserve that, and I wouldn't do that to him.

"What are you staring at?" he asked, looking over me with a smile.

"Nothing," I said as casually as I could. "Just spaced out."

He quirked an eyebrow at me, but expected my weak lie. He stood from the rock and stretched with his arms high over his head. "You ready to go back, or do you want to stay out here a little longer?"

"I think I'm going to stay out here a little longer," I said quietly. "I can't face them yet."

"Okay," he said. "But don't stay out here too long. I have to start taking them back here soon." I nodded to signal that I heard him. He went to move into the shadows, but paused then turned back to look at me. "Daelyn, I'm going to do everything in my power to keep you safe from him," he said. I blinked and looked up at him. He was looking at me with a hard expression, something completely foreign looking on his face. "I'm no where near as strong as he is, but if something happens, we found a way to get you out before. We can do it again. Okay?"

"Okay," I said quietly. He gave me a small smile, then disappeared into the shadows.

I sighed and looked down to Mi who was staring back at me with her wide blue eyes. "I don't want to do this anymore," I said quietly. She mewed softly back in response and I saw a flash of sadness in her eyes. "I know," I answered her. "I have to."

* * *

><p>Tetsuya emerged from the shadows, then paused when he saw that all eyes were on him. The only ones still in the dinning room were Yokuto, Genkai, Koenma, Hiei, Yusuke, Kurama and Kuwabara. He could sense the energy from the others around the temple, packing he assumed. Koenma motioned for him to sit, which he did without argument.<p>

"We need you to give us a detailed explanation on Seikatu's army," Koenma said, his face set hard in worry. "You explained this to me before, but the others need to hear it also."

Tetsuya pursed his lips as he glanced around the table. "His army isn't large," he said after a moment. "It's probably somewhere around three hundred men and women. But the power that they have.." he trailed off for a moment, trying to place his thoughts into words. "The power they have is something I've never seen before. Seikatsu doesn't allow anyone who is not an S-Class by Spirit World standards into his military. The loyalty they have for him is something I've never understood. To put it simply, if he told them to kill themselves to protect the city, they would do it without a second thought."

"Daelyn said before that he acts like a kind ruler who deeply cares for his people," Kurama said, shifting where he sat.

"I don't doubt that he does care for his people on some level," Tetsuya said nodding. "I only lived in the city for around two hundred years, and I worked directly for him for almost the same amount of time. He's been ruling over them for almost longer than I've been alive. I've heard stories from some of the citizens that have been there since the beginning about how he used to solely protect the city. He's a master of enchantments, and learned how to raise that barrier around the city. He kept those people safe, and gave them a home where they were met with warmth and welcome. I'm sure that if it came down to it, they would give their lives to protect him."

"What the hell? Is he too weak to protect himself? Why does he need all this security?" Yusuke grumbled, crossing his arms with a scowl on his face.

"No," Tetsuya answered, his expression blank, but his eyes betrayed him in his worry. "Seikatsu is stronger than his entire army combined. He's a true master of the energy demon race. I've never seen him in battle, but I've heard him speak to Jurou about battles in the passed. He didn't seem like he thought Seikatsu was lying when he told him, and I'm willing to bet he was around for some of them."

"Who's Jurou?" Hiei snapped.

"The commander of his army," Tetsuya explained, his fingers clasping together in his lap as he fidgeted with his fingers. "He's been around since the beginning. I believe he was the first person to ever swear allegiance to Seikatsu. He's...never seemed quite right to me. He's always seemed like he had this big secret to hide. He's a very cruel man. Nothing like the rest of his army."

"Do we even stand a chance if we don't go along with his demands?" Kuwabara asked. Tetsuya looked over to him, pausing for a moment before answering.

"No," he said, simply. "Maybe with a little time and an entire army ourselves, but at this time, no. There is no chance at all."

"Damn it!" Yusuke cursed.

"You boys are forgetting our trump card," Genkai spoke up, lifting a tea cup to her lips. Her eyes slid open as she glanced over the table, narrowing slightly in thought.

"And that would be?" Yusuke snapped. "Cause I'm drawing a blank here, Grandma."

"Daelyn," Yokuto said quietly. "She may be weak now, but she's getting stronger by the day. Once I release her demon energy, she'll be much stronger, and that power will only grow."

"She won't be ready to take him on in three weeks," Tetsuya said quickly. "There's no way!"

"You are correct," Yokuto said, nodding once. "But all we can do now is do as he says until that time comes that she is powerful enough to take him on."

"All I want to know is why he's got such a thing for her," Kuwabara muttered, scratching at the back of his neck. "I mean, why her? She was a normal human before."

Tetsuya started at his words, his eyes flashing over to Koenma who had a panicked expression on his face as he stared back at the water demon. "You haven't told them?!" he exclaimed, his hands coming down to hit the table as he stood. "Why haven't you told them?! If I had known that they didn't know I would have told them!"

"Tell us what?" A soft voice came behind him. He twisted his head to look over his shoulder. Daelyn stood in the doorway, Mi clutched tightly in her arms, with a grim expression twisting on her pretty face. "Why does Seikatsu want me, Koenma?"

* * *

><p>The panic coming from Koenma was clear, but at this point, I didn't care about how comfortable he was. He had known all along why Seikatsu was after me? And he hadn't told me? I felt the anger bubble inside of me, and I pushed it back. I couldn't get angry right now. I could get angry after. All eyes were on Koenma as he scrambled to figure out how to get out of this situation. I let the anger come forth just enough to send a large wave of it at him.<p>

"I'd suggest you start talking," I said, keeping my voice level. Mi started squirming in my arms, kneading comfort into my chest, but my eyes were level on Koenma. "Now."

"Daelyn, you need to calm down," Yokuto said, slowly standing from the table. The anger I had been pushing back boiled into my blood, as I flashed a glare over to him.

"No," I snapped. "Not until he starts talking." I glared back at Koenma.

"The seal on your energy is about to break apart," Yokuto said gently. I could sense that he was trying to send emotions my way that would calm my anger, but it just kept rising out of my control.

"Then let it," I growled. "Start. Talking," I seethed, taking a step forward into the room, my eyes focused solely on the spirit world prince.

"It's because of your family line!" Koenma said quickly, raising his hands in surrender. "You come from a long line of powerful psychics with a dormant gene. Since the very beginning of your family line, a dormant gene has been passed down, much like what happened with Yusuke and his demon heritage, except yours is passed down through the males of your family. Only males are born for five hundred years, passing down this gene as it grows stronger, before a female is born. That gene becomes active until the female has a male child who will receive all of the power, then the cycle continues. Each male has a side effect of the gene, giving them spiritual awareness and powers, but the dormant gene is a combination of every power of your family. When it is passed to your son, which you will, it will be the most powerful it's ever been, and it will continue on. The five hundred year mark is approaching in six years."

"How long have you known about this?" I snapped.

"Since you were brought back to life," he admitted with gritted teeth as he stared at the top of the table. "Your father was put up for adoption. His father was only fifteen when he was born. His mother ran away from home when she found out she was pregnant with him. He had no idea of your fathers existence, and Spirit World lost track of his mother before he was born. I didn't realize that it was the specific reason that Seikatsu was after you until Tetsuya told me his plan."

"You've known about this since it all started," I said slowly. My body was shaking uncontrollably. All I could see was red as I glared with him with everything I had. "And you didn't tell me? Or anyone?" He didn't answer. My eyes flashed over to Tetsuya. "How long have you known?" I seethed.

"Since Seikatsu started planning everything," he said honestly. "I thought you knew, or I would have told you, Daelyn. I'm so sorry."

"What do you mean, planning everything?" I hissed. "What else don't I know?"

"..Daelyn, Seikatsu is the one who killed you in the first place," Tetsuya said gently. "You didn't know that, either?"

I couldn't find any words. The rage that I had been trying to subdue burst forth with a wave of bursting energy that threw everyone back. My breathing became quicker as the ground beneath me began to quake.

"Tetsuya, get everyone out!" I barely heard Yokuto shout. "Now!" I heard someone shout something else, but I couldn't understand it.

Something inside of me tore open painfully. I heard Mi yowl loudly, her body engulfing in a bright light as she clung to me with her claws digging deeply into my skin. I felt something slam into me, and then I was moving. I couldn't see what it was. My vision was covered in the sight of blood that flowed faster and faster as my rage grew. The sound of wind whipping in my ears was the only thing keeping me grounded from exploding with my rage. There was a pull around me, and a shift in the air. Mi was pulled from my arms when I came to a stop. I crumpled to the ground on my hands and knees. My fingers dug into the wet soil, the smell of fresh blood reaching my nose.

A wave of pain came crashing into me like a freight train. I screamed as it tore away at my body, pulling me apart in all directions. It felt like every cell in my body was on fire, burning me away into nothing but ash. Another wave came, causing my body to contort in a disturbing way, bringing another shout from my lungs. The rage dissipated away as the waves of pain kept coming. Nothing I did would stop it. I could only wait for the next wave, watching as the blood pooled around me, staining every inch of my skin.

Every wave sent my body into a contorted and locked position, leaving me only to scream out to try and relieve the pain. I couldn't see anything but the deep thick crimson of the blood around me. My ears were deaf to everything around me but the sound of a roaring rush of the blood as it came over me in a waterfall. I forced myself to stand from where I was laying on the ground. A wave of pain hit me, stumbling me into the rough bark of a tree. I couldn't see it, but the touch of it gave me something other than the pain to hold onto.

I dug my nails into it, feeling it splinter under my fingers. It felt like I couldn't even breathe without my lungs filling with blood, suffocating me. But I forced myself to continue breathing. I needed air. My insides were on fire. A wave of energy erupted from me, causing the ground to rumble. I held onto the tree as tightly as I could, keeping myself from being pulled away into the river of blood around me.

I screamed again as another wave of pain crashed into me.

* * *

><p>"Is there anything else that you just decided not to tell us?!" David snapped at the prince. When the temple had started rumbling around them, Tetsuya had morphed through the shadows, gathering everyone, then appearing in their home outside of Tokyo. The only ones missing were Yokuto and Hiei, who were still back at the temple with Daelyn.<p>

"Spirit World has been trying to come in contact with your family since the incident. They just accepted our offer to speak to them a few days ago. They would like to speak to you two," Koenma said, hanging his head while massaging his fingers into his temples.

"I don't have any spiritual awareness!" David snapped. "You've made a mistake! That bastard is wrong!"

"You did as a child," Koenma said, looking up at him. "It's in your file. You convinced yourself as a child that they were nightmares, and ignored it enough that your senses dulled over the years. Do you remember that?"

"You bastard!" David spat, his fists curling together as he took a step towards the prince. Yusuke came to stand in front of him, putting his hands on his shoulders to push him back. Though David had a good five inches on the younger man, Yusuke could easily stop David in his tracks with his strength, especially with the help of Kurama and Kuwabara who were about to make a move towards them.

"So all of this is because of some spirit energy?" Keiko asked from her position on the couch. Her face was etched deep with worry as Yukina held her hand tightly with a pursed expression, while Botan tried to comfort her on her other side.

"It's not just 'some spirit energy'," Koenma said, looking up to the group. "Its spirit energy that has been gathering strength for thousands and thousands of years. It gets stronger each time a child is born and it is passed down. If Seikatsu gets his hands on it and has a child with her, there's no telling what he could do with that amount of power."

"He wants to force her to have his children?" Kuwabara said, his face twisting in disgust. "That's not even a man."

"I don't know what he was planning on doing after the son was born," Tetsuya said, crossing his arms over his chest as he grimaced. "I only over heard his plan while I was moving through the shadows. I thought that he was simply going to stay with her, and keep her at his side, and continue to protect the city, but now I just don't know."

David grit his teeth, and twisted on his heel away from the group. His fist slammed into the wall, leaving a gaping hole in the dry wall, as his anger sent a shiver through his body. That bastard Seikatsu had tracked them down somehow before Spirit World could. Now, he had killed his sister, and brought her back to life, to want to take her and force her to have his child. He felt his stomach churn at the thought of it. He wanted nothing more than to get his hands around the neck of that demon and make him suffer like he had made her suffer. Now her demon energy had released itself, and it could very well be killing her right at this moment. And he was stuck here, helpless once again, do to anything to help.

A hand came to rest on his arm. He glanced over to see a pair of soft brown eyes regarding him softly. I clenched his teeth and stormed down the hall.

* * *

><p>"This is going to keep her energy contained?" Hiei asked, standing on the outside of a string that wrapped around an area of Yokuto's property. Every few feet was a ward stuck to the string. The air was still around them, with no noise from any wild life around. The area that the two men stood in front of had been a battle ground between humans and demons over a thousand years ago. Yokuto had told him that the temple had been built in order to protect this area of land from being used because of the amount of energy that came from the blood that had been spilt.<p>

"Hopefully," Yokuto answered, crossing his arms as he stared out over the warded area. "I can't tell you yes for sure, because I do not know how much her energy has grown."

"If it seems like it won't hold, I'll take her to demon word," the fire demon said, clenching his bandaged fist as the dragon twisted with worry under his flesh.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Yokuto asked, his molten eyes sliding over to him, then down to the slash marks that were on his unbandaged arm from her nails.

"No," he answered honestly. If he took her to demon world, he wasn't sure he would be able to protect her in this state. She had lashed out at him for taking Mi from her arms before she crushed the creature during its transformation. He knew if he got close to her again before her energy settled then he would come out a lot worse than just a few scratches. "But what other choice would we have?"

"Hm," Yokuto hummed in agreement. "My thoughts were correct that her energy was causing her hallucinations," he said, looking over the wards. "I hope that it's not a lasting side effect." Hiei didn't answer. They stood there for a few minutes longer in a heavy silence as the thin layer of fog that covered the land behind the wards twisted and turned around the invisible barrier. "There's nothing more that we can do for now," he said, slowly turning away from the wards. "Are you going to stay out here? It could take days before she's fully conscious again, if she survives." Ruby eyes flashed over to the half breed. Anger rose inside of him at the words he had just heard. Yokuto gave him a knowing smile. "I'll get into contact with Yusuke and ask him to speak to Mukuro for you." He gave one last glance back to the warded barrier before disappearing into the forest back to the temple.

Hiei stood alone in the forest his Jagan glowing with a pale violet energy. The wards kept any energy inside from getting out but still allowed him to see inside with his Jagan. He could see her laying at the base of a tree, eyes wide open but glazed over unseeingly as her spirit beast laid next to her, glowing in a blinding white light as it grew and shrank over and over again with each wave of her energy. The sight of her like this sickened him. It made him want to hunt Seikatsu down and remove his head with his bare hands for putting her through this.

He made a silent promise to himself to make sure that she never suffered like this again.

* * *

><p>I eventually started to become numb to the pain as the hallucinations dissipated from blood into memories and twisted visions of death and destruction. It seemed that my hallucinogenic state of mind enjoyed forcing me to watch one single memory more than the others. I had watched it so many times that I was beginning to become numb to it as it played over and over again in front of my eyes.<p>

"_Are you sure you'll be okay tonight?" my mom asked, pressing the back of her hand to my forehead with worry etched into her face. "It's okay if you want us to stay home, sweetie. You're running a fever, and I'm worried about you."_

"_No," said my fourteen year old self, wrapping myself tighter into the blankets with a shiver. "Go ahead. You and Dad don't get enough time together. I'll be fine. I'll call you if it get's any worse, I promise."_

"_If you can't get a hold of us, call your brother. He doesn't have any classes on the weekends, and tell him that your mother will be very angry with him if he doesn't come and help his sick sister," she said, pointing a stern finger at me._

"_She'll be fine!" my dad's voice came from the doorway. I looked passed her to see him standing in the doorway with a wide grin. "I didn't raise no weaklings. A little cold is nothing to worry about, right?" he asked me with a wink._

"_Right," I sniffled. A tickle came in the back of my throat. I forced myself to keep the coughing fit away until they left. If my mom heard me coughing she wouldn't go on her anniversary date with Dad. I wasn't going to be the cause of that. They really didn't get much time alone together, and I wanted them to have a nice date for once. _

"_Okay," she said slowly, standing from the edge of my bed. She ran her hand down the red dress that she was wearing, smoothing out the forming wrinkles. I stared up at her as she fussed over the non existent wrinkles. She looked absolutely beautiful. Her shoulder length blonde hair was curlier than she usually had it, giving it a polished but slightly tousled look. She had pinned back one side of it, exposing the dangling diamond earrings that Dad, David and I had bought for her for their anniversary. Her pale green eyes stood out from the smokey brown eyeshadow that she wore, paired with a pinky nude lipstick. _

"_Come on, hon, we don't want to be late for our reservation," Dad said, coming to stand next to her and gently wrapping her arm around his. He wore a black suit, paired with a silk red tie that matched my mom's dress exactly. "You look beautiful, and Daelyn will be fine."_

"_Don't worry about anything tonight," I told her, adding to what my dad had said. "Just go and enjoy yourselves."_

_She pursed her lips, looking over my pathetic state as I wrapped myself tighter into my blankets, with a tissue box within arms reach and a nearly filled with used tissues trash can next to my bed. "Okay," she said finally. "But call me if _anything_ changes, okay?"_

"_Promise," I said, holding back another coughing fit. With a sigh she let my dad lead her out of my room. He turned his head to look at me over his shoulder, sending me another wink which I gave a weak smile in return. I listened as my mom gathered her purse for the night, and they left the house, locking the door behind them. When I heard it latch shut, I couldn't hold back my coughing anymore. I coughed until I was gasping for breath and my face was red with the lack of air. After finally catching my breath, I blew my nose for the thousandth time, and curled up into the blankets to go to sleep._

* * *

><p><em>I wasn't asleep for very long, two hours at the most, before I woke up in another coughing fit. I felt like I had been hit with a ton of bricks. My joints ached, I was freezing, but I was sweating bad enough that I left a wet spot on my sheets. I blindly reached out to my night stand to find the thermometer. I knocked off the box of tissues in the process and with a groan I finally wrapped my fingers around the thermometer. I turned it on and stuck it under my tongue before blindly searching over the floor with my hand to find the tissues. When I found them and brought them back up to the night stand, the thermometer beeped at me. I pulled it out of my mouth and peered at it with squinted eyes. It was two degrees higher than what it had been before I fell asleep. <em>

_With another quiet groan I pushed the blankets off of me, shivering at the sudden cold air. I slowly made my way out of bed to go and try and find the medicine that I had refused to take earlier, much to my mom's dismay. I just had to be stubborn. I padded down the hall, my feet barely leaving the floor as I shuffled my way to the bathroom. The fluorescent light caused me to grimace as it sent a pounding through my head. I waited in the bathroom door way for a moment, to let my eyes adjust to the sudden brightness. _

_I searched through the medicine cabinet to not find the pills I was looking for. I whined loudly as I got down on my knees to search under the sink, with no avail. After giving myself a mini pep-talk, I made my way to the kitchen to see if for some reason it was there. I didn't find them. Disgruntled, I picked up the phone to call my dad. I knew if I called my mom, she would come running. Hopefully, Dad would see it was me calling and do something sly like go to the bathroom to answer. _

"_Hello?" my mom's voice answered on the first ring. "Are you okay? What's going on?"_

"_I called Dad," I sniffled, reaching over for a paper towel to take care of my nose. _

"_Yes, and I answered," she said. I knew she was probably shooting my dad an exasperated look at my attempt at being sneaky. "What's wrong?"_

"_Where's the medicine?" I asked, silently praying that she wouldn't force Dad to bring her home to take care of me._

"_Did you look in the medicine cabinet?" she asked. "Are you feeling okay? Do you feel worse?"_

"_I'm fine, Mom," I tried to assure her, but a fit of coughing decided to interrupt. _

"_We're coming home now," she said._

"_No, wait-!" I tried to stop her, but she had already hung up on me. With a sigh, I put the phone back on the receiver. I debated about going back to my room, but it seemed to far away, so I settled with sprawling out on the couch and turned the television on._

_The time started to tick by. I knew the restaurant that they were at was only fifteen minutes away. Soon fifteen minutes turned into thirty, then those thirty minutes, turned into an hour. That hour turned into two. After multiple unanswered phone calls, I was starting to get worried. It wasn't like my mom to screen calls. It wasn't like her to go so long without checking in. I had just sat down from trying to call their phones again, when a knock came at the door. _

_Dread immediately washed over me. I had to gather myself to get off the couch as a second set of knocks came. I peered through the peep hole to see two police officers standing at the door. With shaking hands, I unlocked the dead bolt and pulled the door open._

"_Is this the Matthew's residence?" he asked, his Japanese accent butchering my last name like I was used to._

"_Yes," I said, my grip tightening on the door knob to steady myself. _

"_We're going to need you to come with us to the hospital," the female officer said. _

"_Why?" I asked, my entire body shaking. I could barely keep myself standing while they looked at me with solemn expressions._

"_There's been an accident," the female officer said, stepping forward, and reaching her hand out to place it on my shoulder._

"_I need to call my brother," I said, blinking rapidly to keep back any tears._

"_You can call him from the hospital," she said gently._

_I nodded and reached over to the small table next to the door and grabbed my set of house keys. I pulled my shoes on, and yanked my jacket off of the coat rack and pulled it over my tattered shirt. My hands were shaking so bad that I could barely get the key into the lock to latch the dead bolt. I followed the two officers down to the two police cars that were sitting at the end of the driveway. I got into the car with the female officer. She shut the door behind me before rounding the car in a jogging pace to the driver side next to me. She got into the car, and we were flying away from the house with the lights flashing and the sirens blaring. I didn't ask her how bad it was. I think I already knew. _

_When we got to the hospital and she lead me inside with the male officer close behind. She turned to face me when we got to a nurses station. "You said you need to call your brother?" she asked. I nodded weakly and she lead me over to a few pay phones. She reached into her pocket and pulled out some change to hand it to me. I struggled to get the coins into the slot, dropping a few pieces that she picked up and handed them back to me patiently. With shaking fingers I dialed David's phone, praying that he would pick up. I counted the rings. I knew that his phone rang exactly six times before going to voice mail. He answered halfway through the sixth ring._

"_Hello?" I barely heard him over the background noise behind him. I could hear music beating, a low rumbling background to the yelling and laughter. _

"_D-david," I said, clenching the phone tighter to me. "I'm at the hospital. You need to come to the hospital."_

"_Hang on, I can't hear you," he said. I heard him say something to someone around him, then after a few moments it grew quiet. "What did you say? Who is this?"_

"_It's me," I said, my voice shaking. "I'm at the hospital."_

"_What? What's wrong? What happened? Where are Mom and Dad?" he asked, his questions tumbling over each other faster than they could end._

"_You need to come to the hospital," I told him. "There's been an accident."_

"_What hospital?" he asked. I could tell he was trying to keep his voice level. The officer listed off the name and address which I read back to him. "I'm in the car now. I'll be there in ten minutes."_

_I hung up the phone and turned to the officer. "Please don't arrest my brother for speeding," I said quietly as I wrapped my jacket tighter around me. I shivered as my head pounded with my fever. The pajama pants I was wearing were thin, the cold air of the hospital bitting at my skin._

"_I won't," she said gently. "Let's go sit down, okay? Officer Yuto will wait for your brother in the waiting room." She lead me to a secluded waiting area, where she sat next to me. I leaned forward to rest my forehead on my knees, urging my head to stop pounding. I felt so sick. Not just because I had a cold. The dread and fear inside of me churned in my stomach. I didn't want to ask how bad it was. I didn't want to know. I wanted David here. _

_Just as he had promised, ten minutes later he was standing in the doorway to the secluded waiting area with the other officer behind him. I looked up at him, and stood as he crossed the room in three long strides. I wrapped my arms around his middle and he held me close to him._

"_What happened?" he asked the officers over my head. I closed my eyes and breathed in his comforting and familiar smell, even though he reeked of alcohol. I listened with silent tears pooling down my face as the female officer explained that there had been a car accident. They were pulling out of an intersection, their light was green. Another driver had run the red light, and slammed into them at eighty miles or more per hour. I felt my world begin to crumble when she said that Mom had been killed on impact. The car had hit her side. Dad was in emergency surgery to try and save him, but he had been non responsive at the scene._

_David held me tightly to him as I began to sob. The two officers stepped away from us to give us some privacy. David didn't say anything. He just held me tightly as we sat on one of the benches. His hand ran through my hair. I felt a few droplets fall from his face to the top of my head. We were sitting there like that for another hour before a doctor appeared from the swinging doors across the room. I looked up at him with bleary eyes. His sullen expression told us everything that I needed to know. So I just held on to David tighter as the doctor approached us, and kneeled down to our level._

"_We did everything we could," he said quietly. "He slipped away about twenty minutes ago," he continued. I felt my body start shaking as more tears started to fall. _

"_Can we see them?" David asked. I heard his voice crack as more warm tears fell to the top of my head. _

"_Of course," the doctor said standing. The doctor led us to an elevator with the two officers. I realized that they needed us to identify their bodies. The elevator took us to the lowest level of the hospital, to a place made entirely of white tile, stainless steel walls, and antiseptic. It smelled like death. We came to stand in front of a swinging door, with half the wall that it was next to made completely of glass. "We'll give you two some privacy," he said._

"_You don't have to," David said down to me._

_I shook my head. "Yes, I do," I whispered. He nodded once, his jaw set tightly. I could see that his eyes were red and puffy. We made our way into the room. In the center of the room, with a bright fluorescent light hanging over head, were two tables, with two obvious human forms under two white sheets. We approached them slowly, our foot steps echoing like ticking time off the walls. David let me go for a moment to pull back the two sheets._

_I couldn't look right away. But when I heard the haggard and broken intake of breath from David, I lifted my head. Laying on the two tables were our parents. Their eyes had been tapped shut, their skin looking waxen, and sunken in. The cry that had escaped me broke everything inside of me. I sobbed loudly, reaching for David as he held me close. This was all my fault. If I had just taken the stupid medicine before. If I had just looked a little harder for the medicine instead of calling them. They wouldn't have been out driving. They would have still been at the restaurant. This was all my fault. All of this was my fault._

The blood started dripping from every surface of the morgue, covering everything in crimson, before the memory played again. And again. And again. I watched it each time, reliving every moment of that night, long since feeling the sorrow that I had felt before. It was like watching a movie on repeat. The first time you watch it, it's sad. You cry, and refuse to admit that it ended that way. You watch it again and it's not quite as sad as the first time. You watch it a few more times, and eventually you stop reacting, knowing how each moment is going to play out.

I knew this was my life that I was watching, and I knew it was heartless of me to not be sad and broken each time I watched it. But each time that memory passed, or a different painful one, or even one that my mind created for me to watch where everyone I knew and cared for died, I just didn't have it in me to react. I couldn't anymore. The pain from inside me with each wave of energy numbed me to everything.

I knew this was all my fault.

* * *

><p>Well, this was kind of a heavy chapter, wasn't it? A lot, a lot, a lot of new information. And we learned the whole story about what happened to Daelyn and David's parents. I won't lie, it was kinda tough for me to write, because I lost my dad when I was young, so it just brought up some not so pleasant feelings. I hope it didn't effect anything too much.<p>

And the hallucinations are back! I wonder if any of you were pondering as to why they just suddenly stopped happening haha. I do usually have a reason for why I do things:)

And _hopefully_ my internet got worked out and fixed. I can't promise an every other day update right now because I'm getting busy for the time being, but hopefully it won't be too long in between updates. Nothing over a week, I hope.

**ladyscorpio**: It was definitely some major character development! Even if it did kind of set back their relationship for the moment. The suspense is terrible, but its so much fun to write, so I apologize for keeping you so on edge for it haha. I can't help it. I love set backs, twists, turns, drawing things out, tragedy, and blind corners. I think it makes everything so much more interesting to read. Thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying the story:)

**dewa95**: Sometimes I to take my characters by the shoulders and shake them and scream idiot in their faces as well but, even if physically she isn't a human, she's still very much human in her way of thinking. She always will be like that. Becoming a demon wasn't something that she realized she agreed to. Yomi and Mukuro are two wild cards here. Who knows what those two could do with what I have planned? It's definitely going to be interesting to see how they unfold in this. Most of the time I have one thing planned and it comes out completely different haha. So who knows.

**whirlpoolfishcake**: I thought in an earlier chapter, specifically the chapter that Tetsuya first appears at Yokuto's temple, that I had him mentioning the fact that Seikatsu had a very powerful army and he over heard a few things from inbetween Seikatsu and Jurou, the commanding officer of Seikatsu's army. When I went back to look, the spot that I thought I had put it wasn't there. I believe I may have deleted it, meaning to put it back in another place of dialogue and didn't do it. It was my mistake. And I feel like, with the barrier down inbetween Demon World and Human World, any threat of war is something that needs to be taken seriously, even if there may be nothing to back it up. This story is written mostly in Daelyn's point of view. There are a lot of things going on behind the scenes that she, nor readers, know about that I have planned that will come out later in the future. I'm not an author that gives out everything all at once, I feel like that makes stories boring. As I have mentioned multiple times, I like twists and turns, and I like to make things interesting for you all to read. I write mostly in first person point of view because I want my readers to feel what my characters are feeling as they feel them. As for Seikatsu never being seen in action, it is mentioned that he is an energy demon in the beginning of this story. I don't exactly remember which chapter it is, but in one of Hiei's point of views it is said exactly what an energy demon is capable of doing. I hope I cleared up any confusion.

Thank you for all your favorites, follows, and reviews! Please leave a PM or a review and let me know what you think!:)


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